Ceylon News Papers (private) Limited v. V P K Weerasinghe et al. – C A WRIT APPLICATION NO. 300/2013-2016

In the case between Ceylon News Papers (Private) Limited (Petitioner) and V P K Weerasinghe, Commissioner General of Labour, among others (Respondents), the central issue concerned whether the Commissioner of Labour held jurisdiction under the Termination of Employment of Workmen (Special Provisions) Act (TEWA) to adjudicate the complaint of the 4th Respondent, K G Asanka Indrajith, regarding alleged unlawful termination. The Court determined that the jurisdictional objections—namely, that the termination was based on disciplinary grounds and that the 4th Respondent’s period of employment was insufficient to invoke statutory protection—were unsubstantiated at the preliminary stage. It was established that, in the absence of conclusive evidence demonstrating a disciplinary termination and g