Manjula Rajapakse vs. Commissioner General of Excise et al. – CA WRIT/NO.619/2011-2021

In the case between Manjula Rajapakse (Isuru Trade Center, Gonagolla, Ampara) and D.G.M.V. Hapuarachchi, Commissioner General of Excise, with other Excise Department officers and members of the clergy, the court addressed the lawfulness of orders suspending and requiring relocation of the plaintiff’s FL 4 liquor license, pursuant to public protest. The court held that the Commissioner General of Excise acted within statutory powers under the Excise Ordinance and the relevant Gazette in issuing suspension and relocation orders to address concerns regarding law and order. Applications for a Writ of Certiorari to quash the orders, and a Writ of Mandamus to compel license extension, were both dismissed. The court reaffirmed the principle that administrative authorities may exercise discretiona