Meril v. Council of Civil Service Unions – sllr 2001 volume 2 page 011

In the case between Meril (petitioner, employee of Colombo Commercial Company [Teas] Ltd.) and Dayananda De Silva & Others (including Colombo Commercial Company [Teas] Ltd., its Chairman/Managing Director, liquidator, and labour authorities), the issue centered on whether compensation for the petitioner’s termination was to be computed according to a Cabinet-approved scheme (P3a) based on length of service, or by an alternative calculation based on proximity to retirement. The court determined that disregarding the Cabinet-approved scheme in favor of a less rational “near retirement” policy was unlawful, resulting in the deprivation of the petitioner’s legitimate expectation. Relying on principles of administrative law and judicial review, it was established that compensation must strictly