Jurisdiction

Powers and Jurisdiction

The Colombo Magistrate’s Court operates under a tightly defined legal framework established to manage original criminal jurisdiction within the Colombo Judicial Division. As a court of first instance, it serves as the primary entry point for the vast majority of criminal cases in the capital city.

1. Statutory Authority and Criminal Jurisdiction

The foundational powers of the court are governed by the Judicature Act No. 2 of 1978 and the Code of Criminal Procedure Act of Sri Lanka.

Original Criminal Jurisdiction: The court is vested with original jurisdiction over all criminal offenses committed entirely or partially within its geographically demarcated judicial division of Colombo and certain other statutorily exempted instances where Chief Magistrate Court is vested with exclusive jurisdiction.

The Penal Code and other Statutes: Colombo Magistrate’s Court hears cases initiated by the police including the Criminal Investigations Department and other specially designated prosecutorial divisions under the Sri Lanka Police Department, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), and other state authorities on offenses under the Penal Code and other special statutes.

2. Territorial Jurisdiction

The territorial jurisdiction of the Colombo Magistrate’s Court covers the Judicial Division of Colombo, which includes the entire Colombo Divisional Secretariat’s Division (such as Pettah, Fort, Slave Island, and Maradana) and specific Grama Niladhari Divisions within the Thimbirigasyaya Divisional Secretariat’s Division[cite: 10]. [cite_start]This boundary is established as per the Order published in the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 1679/40 dated 10th November 2010 and its subsequent amendments.

3. Exclusive Criminal Jurisdiction

Under the provisions of Judicature Act, including Orders published in various Extraordinary Gazette Notifications and the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, Colombo Magistrate’s Court is vested with exclusive criminal jurisdiction on applications or prosecutions brought under Bribery Act, Anti-Corruption Act, Customs Ordinance, Inland Revenue Act and other statutes.

These are mentioned in Government Gazette (Extraordinary) No. 43/4 dated 02.07.1979, and thereafter amended from time to time by Gazette (Extraordinary) No. 1195/10 dated 01.08.2001 and No. 1380/17 of 16.02.2005.

Inquests: The court holds the authority to conduct post-mortem examinations and official inquiries into sudden, unnatural, or suspicious deaths occurred within the judicial division of Colombo.