History of the Courts

HISTORY OF THE POLONNARUWA HIGH COURT

Prior to 08th July 1961, judicial proceedings in the Polonnaruwa area were conducted under the jurisdiction of the Anuradhapura Magistrate's Court. At that time, a Circuit Court of the Anuradhapura Magistrate's Court functioned from a small building located at 'Pola Handiya' (Market Junction) in Polonnaruwa.

On 08th July 1961, a new court house was established in Polonnaruwa New Town, marking the establishment of the District/Magistrate's Court in Polonnaruwa. Subsequently, a Primary Court was also established to further strengthen the judicial services in the area.

Despite these developments, all High Court proceedings continued to be conducted by the Anuradhapura High Court.

Polonnaruwa Court Complex

Establishment of the Polonnaruwa High Court (10th June 2006)

A significant milestone was achieved on the 10th of June 2006 with the establishment of the Polonnaruwa High Court, enabling High Court proceedings to be conducted within the district. However, the accounting and administrative functions of the High Court continued to be managed by the Anuradhapura High Court until 01st June 2010. From that date, the Polonnaruwa High Court commenced its own accounting operations independently.

High Court Polonnaruwa

Construction of the Modern Court Complex (05th September 2019)

Construction of the modern court commenced on 05th September 2019, envisioned to provide state-of-the-art judicial infrastructure and support expanded court services in the region.

Operations in the New Court Complex (01st January 2021 – Present)

Since 01st January 2021, Polonnaruwa High Court has been functioning from the top floor of the new court complex, providing improved judicial facilities and services to the public.