Jurisdiction

Powers & Jurisdiction

The District Court of Polonnaruwa exercises civil jurisdiction within the Polonnaruwa judicial district under the defined legal framework established to manage civil jurisdiction of Sri Lanka. The court functions as a court of first instance and is responsible for hearing, determining, and adjudicating disputes arising under the civil law. The Jurisdiction of the District Court is fundamentally governed by the Judicature Act No.2 of 1978 and its amendment.

Original Civil Jurisdiction

The District Court of Polonnaruwa is vested with civil jurisdiction over causes of action entirely or partially arising within the Polonnaruwa Judicial Zone demarcated by the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No 1679/40 dated 10th November 2010 and its subsequent amendments¹. The Civil Procedure Code provides the guidelines for determining where the cause of action arises.

Commercial & Financial Disputes

The District Court is empowered to determine Commercial disputes up to LKR 50 million². If the value of the dispute is less than LKR 1 million, the District Court receives jurisdiction only with a non-settlement certificate from the Mediation Board³.

Property Disputes

The District Court of Polonnaruwa has jurisdiction over any dispute relating to a property situated within its territorial jurisdiction.

Matrimonial Disputes

The District Court of Polonnaruwa exercises jurisdiction over matrimonial matters, including divorce, nullity of marriage, legal separation of marriage, child custody, adoption and enforcement of foreign matrimonial judgments based on the parties' residential location.

Testamentary Proceedings

To administrate the estate of the deceased person under the supervision of the court through the executor named in the Will, or through the administrator appointed by the court and, through that administration, to settle the liabilities of the estate and to collect dues of the estate and thereafter to distribute the estate among the legatees or heirs; and sealing of foreign probates.

Disputes of Small Claims

The Small Claims Court has jurisdiction over any dispute of which comes under the preview of Small Claims Court's Procedure Act, less than LKR 2 million.