Abeyratne v. Jayaratne, Minister of Lands – sllr 2002 volume 2 page 355

In the case between Abeyratne (plaintiff) and Jayaratne, Minister of Lands (defendant), the court addressed the issue of whether the Court of Appeal possessed jurisdiction under Article 140 of the Constitution to review orders made pursuant to section 2 of the Urban Development Projects (Special Provisions) Act, No. 2 of 1980, and related presidential orders. The court held that jurisdiction for such challenges is vested exclusively in the Supreme Court and not the Court of Appeal, reaffirming the principle that judicial review of such executive orders falls within the Supreme Court’s purview when designated by statute. This determination relied on statutory interpretation of the Special Provisions Act, the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Act, and prior precedent, notably Gunaratne v. Abeysin