Colombo South Co Operative Society Ltd. v. Anuruddha Ratwatte, Minister of Power and Irrigation and Others – sllr 2002 volume 1 page 336

In the case between Colombo South Co-operative Society Ltd (plaintiff) and Anuruddha Ratwatte, Minister of Power and Irrigation, and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (defendants), the court addressed whether the termination of a dealership agreement, executed without proper notice and based on an inconsistently applied “one shed per dealer” policy, constituted an executive or administrative action violating Article 12(1) of the Constitution. The findings established that the Petroleum Corporation’s action amounted to arbitrary and discriminatory conduct, infringing fundamental rights to equality and equal protection. The decision reaffirmed the principle that when a public authority exercises powers under a contract, such actions may fall within public law scrutiny if attributed to executi