Galigamuwa v. Air Lanka Ltd. – sllr 1993 volume 1 page 411

In the case between Galigamuwa (Plaintiff) and Air Lanka Ltd. (Defendant), the court addressed the issue of whether the Labour Tribunal correctly dismissed an applicant’s case for absence under Regulation 28 of the Industrial Disputes Act. The holding established that the Tribunal’s power to proceed in the absence of a party is discretionary, not mandatory, and that applicants bear the burden of showing good cause for non-appearance. The principle reaffirmed was that appellate courts have a limited power to review ex parte orders and that the question of sufficient cause for non-appearance must be assessed by the Tribunal itself in the first instance. Reliance was placed on statutory interpretation of Regulation 28 and prior procedural jurisprudence, underscoring that due process at the Tr