Church of the Foursquare Gospel in Sri Lanka and Another vs. Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha and Others – sllr 2013 volume 1 page 401

In Church of the Foursquare Gospel in Sri Lanka and Another v. Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha and Others, the court addressed whether objections concerning high-volume musical instruments and loud religious activities—alleged to cause public nuisance—are relevant to the approval and continuation of church building construction. The court held that such objections, being unrelated to the approved building plan, cannot provide a lawful basis for suspension of construction. The principle reaffirmed is that powers under the Urban Development Authority Act must be exercised strictly according to statute and cannot be extended to regulate issues unrelated to planning approval, such as noise or public nuisance arising from activities post-construction. This decision underscored that statutory authorit