Obeysekera v. Albert and Others – 1978_79 volume 2 page 220

In the case between Obeysekera (plaintiff) and Albert and Others (defendants), the court addressed whether a writ of certiorari could be issued to quash an arbitrator’s award under the Industrial Disputes Act when an alternative statutory remedy under section 20(1) was available. It was held that certiorari, being a discretionary remedy, should not be granted when an adequate alternative remedy exists. The principle was reaffirmed that certiorari will generally be refused unless other available and suitable remedies have been fully utilized. Reliance was placed on the House of Lords decision in Baldwin & Francis Ltd. v. Patents Appeal Tribunal and Others and a strict construction of the statutory scheme under the Industrial Disputes Act. The decision emphasizes the primacy of exhausting st