Ceylon Electricity Board vs. D. Yasaawathi Satharasinghe – CA CPA 96/2021-2023

In the case between Ceylon Electricity Board and D. Yasaawathi Satharasinghe, the court addressed whether a transmission licensee under the Sri Lanka Electricity Act is entitled to seek an order of forced entry pursuant to item 9 of Schedule II, given the statutory language granting such power only to distribution licensees. The central issue required interpretation of statutory provisions and consideration of whether technical procedural errors, including the specificity of pleading language and submission protocols, could override substantive rights. The holding determined that the omission of transmission licensees in item 9 was a drafting error and should not preclude relief where substantive rights and public interest are at stake. Reference was made to legal maxims such as “ubi jus i