Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd vs Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and others – CA WRIT 519/2008-2012

The case between Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd. and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (along with other respondents including a former employee) addressed the issue of whether the Human Rights Commission had jurisdiction to entertain a complaint by an employee of Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd., and whether recommendations by the Commission could be quashed by a writ of certiorari. It was held that the Human Rights Commission’s recommendations lack self-executing or legally binding effect and therefore cannot be quashed by certiorari. The principle reaffirmed is that certiorari only lies against decisions or determinations by bodies exercising judicial or quasi-judicial authority that impact rights with legal consequence. Reliance was placed on the precedent from G.P.A. Silva and Others v. Sadique a