P.V. Vineetha Kumari and others Vs. Secretary, Ministry of Education and others – CA/WRT- 0334/19-2019

Brief
In the case between the parents of children at the Wellassa Subhagya Special School (petitioners) and the Secretary, Ministry of Education, along with various other officials and governmental bodies (respondents), the court addressed whether writs of mandamus and prohibition could be issued in circumstances where the respondents were not natural persons, and whether a statutory duty existed for the Secretary to assume management of the assisted school. The court held that such writs cannot be maintained against non-natural persons and no statutory authority empowers the Secretary to take over the school’s management. The principle reaffirmed is that writs of mandamus target only natural persons in public office, with the relevant legal reasoning derived from the Education Ordinance a