Sesame Senhora Tea Company (Pvt) Ltd. vs Sri Lanka Tea Board and others – WRT/91/2020-2020

In the case between Sesame Senhora Tea Company (Pvt) Ltd. and the Sri Lanka Tea Board with its officials, the court addressed the question of whether Circulars P7 and P9—issued by the Sri Lanka Tea Board to impose production caps and quality standards on tea manufacturers, enforceable via tea brokers—were lawful or ultra vires, and whether Sesame Senhora Tea Company could claim a legal right, by estoppel or otherwise, to produce quantities exceeding the regulatory cap. The court held that the Circulars were lawful exercises of statutory powers, the production caps and conditions were not unreasonable or illegal, and that suppression of material facts by the Petitioner justified the refusal of discretionary relief. Established principles of administrative law, including the “Wednesbury unre