Ratnayake and Others v. C.D Perera and Others – sllr 1982 volume 2 page 451

In the case between Ratnayake and Others (representing the Lanka Guru Sangamaya teachers’ union) and C.D. Perera and Others (union officials), the court addressed whether the duty to convene meetings under the union’s constitution amounts to a public duty enforceable by a Writ of Mandamus. The sequence of events involved a requisition by elected union members for a meeting, which was not convened by the union’s Secretary, President, and Treasurer. The dispute centered on the interpretation of the Trade Union Ordinance and the Interpretation Ordinance, specifically whether the union’s constitution is “Written Law” imposing statutory (public) duties or merely contractual (private) obligations among members. It was determined that the union’s rules were contractual and did not create public d