Sugathadasa Wijesinghe et al. v. Minister of Finance et al. – CA 212/11-2012

In Sugathadasa Wijesinghe and 46 others v. Minister of Finance and others, the court addressed the issue of writs of Mandamus and Certiorari sought by the petitioners under Article 140 of the Constitution, challenging an administrative decision involving pension matters. It was held that, as the petitioners’ counsel did not support the application and requested withdrawal, leave to withdraw was granted, and the application was dismissed on a pro forma basis. No determination was made on the merits. The principle reaffirmed is that upon application for withdrawal by the petitioners, the court may dismiss such proceedings procedurally without adjudication on substantive grounds, relying on established procedural rules governing withdrawal and dismissal.

S. Sriskandarajah J. — It was determ