Ramya Kumari Tilakaratne Vs. Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka and Others – CA WRIT APPLICATION NO: 158/2014-2018

The case between Ramya Kumari Tilakaratne and the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka and others addressed the issue of whether a writ of Certiorari should be issued to quash a registration approval favoring the respondent’s rights to certain paddy lands, and whether a writ of Mandamus should compel recognition and registration of the petitioner’s claimed half-share rights inherited by will. The petition was dismissed on the grounds that the impugned decision letter was not produced and that there was an unexplained delay in seeking relief. The principle reaffirmed is that judicial review cannot be exercised in the absence of the impugned administrative decision and that unreasonable delay defeats applications for writs. Reliance was placed on established case law regarding the necessity of pr