Sannasgala v. University of Kelaniya and Members of the University Senate – sllr 1991 volume 2 page 193

In the case between Sannasgala and the University of Kelaniya and Members of the University Senate, the court addressed whether the rules approved in 1962 under the Vidyalankara University Act, No. 45 of 1958, continued to possess statutory force following subsequent legislative changes, including the Higher Education Act, No. 20 of 1966 and the Universities Act, No. 16 of 1978. It was determined that these rules were repealed and not revived by later statutes, and the doctrine of promissory estoppel could not be invoked to compel the university to confer a degree when no valid grant of authority existed. The findings established that administrative discretion remained with the university and an absolute entitlement to the degree did not arise from the facts. The decision reaffirmed that s