Vaithilingam Balasuresh vs. Douglas Devananda, Minister of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources – CA WRIT 0379/2022-2025

In the case between Vaithilingam Balasuresh (President, Fishermen’s Co-operative Society), Ruvini Rambukwella (President, Vinivida Foundation) and several state officials including the Minister of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources and the Attorney General, the court addressed the issue of whether state authorities failed in their statutory duties under fisheries-related legislation to prevent illegal bottom trawling and protect marine habitats. It was held that the reliefs sought by the petitioners were impermissibly vague and broad, and that it was not legally feasible to mandate the comprehensive enforcement of all fisheries laws through a writ of mandamus. The decision reaffirmed the principle that mandamus may only compel the performance of specific, clearly defined statutory duties, not t