All Ceylon Railway Employees’ General Union vs Sri Lanka Railways – CA WRIT APPLICATION NO: 314/13-2014

The case between All Ceylon Railway Employees’ General Union, Sumathipala Pituwala Withanage (President), Sumathipala Manawadu (Secretary), and Sri Lanka Railways, B.A.P. Ariyarathne (General Manager, Sri Lanka Railways), and Dhammika Perera (Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Highways) addressed the issue of whether the Petitioners were entitled to a writ of mandamus compelling the Respondents to assign an office space with appropriate facilities for the functioning of the Union. It was held that no public or statutory right had been disclosed by the Petitioners to justify the grant of the relief sought, reaffirming the principle that writ jurisdiction is not available in the absence of a clear public or statutory right. The decision was grounded in the examination of the application an