Wathukarage Shantha Merril Kumara vs National Gem and Jewellery Authority – SC/MISL/04/2014-2025

In the case between Wathukarage Shantha Merril Kumara (Appellant) and National Gem and Jewellery Authority along with various officials, including Lalith Padmasiri Liyanage and W.A.O. Weerasinghe Wijetunga (Respondents), the court addressed whether the necessary two‑thirds land share requirement was established for issuing a gemming licence under the National Gem and Jewellery Authority Act, and whether the process of appellate decision-making within the Authority was legally valid. It was held that the reversal of the initial refusal of the licence by the Director General—absent ministerial appellate authority—was procedurally improper and ultra vires. The operative principle reaffirmed that administrative decisions made without adherence to prescribed legal avenues are liable to be quash