Muthukumaraswamy Wanniyasekaram vs Board of Trustees of Bhagavan Sri Satya Sai Central Trust of Sri Lanka – CA WRIT APPLICATION NO. 130/2015-2015

In the case between Muthukumaraswamy Wanniyasekaram (petitioner) and the Board of Trustees of Bhagavan Sri Satya Sai Central Trust of Sri Lanka and others (respondents), the core issue was whether the Court of Appeal’s Writ jurisdiction could be invoked against the Trust concerning a trustee’s removal or resignation dispute. The court held that Writ jurisdiction was unavailable as the Trust did not exercise public functions nor hold statutory powers over public rights; such disputes fell within private law and trust law. The decision reaffirmed the principle that public law remedies, such as Certiorari and Mandamus, apply only to bodies performing public duties or exercising statutory authority. This conclusion was reached by applying established statutory interpretation and precedent, cla