Why case law matters in Sri Lanka
Decisions of the Supreme Court bind all lower courts, and decisions of the Court of Appeal bind the courts below it. Much of Sri Lankan law, including Roman-Dutch principles of property and contract and the interpretation of codes such as the Civil Procedure Code, is found in judgments rather than statute.
The main law report series
- New Law Reports (NLR): the principal historical series, covering decisions from the late nineteenth century to the late 1970s.
- Sri Lanka Law Reports (SLR or Sri LR): the principal series for decisions from 1978 onwards.
- Ceylon Law Reports, Wendt’s Reports and Browne’s Reports: earlier and parallel historical series.
- Supreme Court Law Reports and Court of Appeal Law Reports: further series of superior-court decisions.
Reading a Sri Lankan case citation
A citation tells you where to find the report. An NLR citation usually gives the volume, the series and the first page, often with the year, for example (1950) 51 NLR 457. An SLR citation usually gives the year, the volume for that year, the series and the page, for example [1992] 1 Sri LR 51. Unreported judgments are cited by court and case number, such as an SC Appeal or CA Writ number, with the date of the decision.
Always check a citation against the report itself before you use it. Errors in volume or page numbers are common, and AI tools can produce citations that look correct but do not exist.
Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judgments
The Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal publish many recent judgments on their websites, usually as PDFs listed by case number. These are useful for current law, but they are not always easy to search by topic. A research database that indexes judgments by subject, statute and cited authorities saves time when you need every decision on a point.
Searching case law with Lex
Lex brings the NLR, the SLR and other historical and later report series together with Supreme Court and Court of Appeal decisions, alongside legislation and selected Commonwealth authorities. Ask a question, open the judgments it cites and read the relevant passages in full. Check the archive for coverage, or ask the team about a particular report or year.
Questions and answers
What is the NLR in Sri Lanka?
The New Law Reports (NLR) is the principal historical series of reported Sri Lankan judgments. It covers decisions from the late nineteenth century to the late 1970s and is still widely cited.
What is the difference between NLR and SLR?
The NLR covers the historical period up to the late 1970s. The Sri Lanka Law Reports (SLR) is the main series for decisions from 1978 onwards. Both are cited in court today.
Where can I find Supreme Court judgments of Sri Lanka?
Recent judgments are published on the Supreme Court website by case number. Lex lets you search reported and recent judgments by question and open the original text.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Last updated 6 October 2026.