Kuruwitage Don Marlin Minura Siriwardena vs. Ceylon Petroleum Corporation – CA WRIT 64/2021-2021

In Kuruwitage Don Marlin Minura Siriwardena v. Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and Others, the court addressed the propriety of granting a new petroleum dealership within 459 meters of the petitioner’s existing filling station, focusing on alleged procedural irregularities and disregard for minimum distance guidelines. It was determined that, while no statutory minimum distance existed, internal directions (notably Direction P14) and administrative law required careful evaluation of the “distance factor,” which was not followed in this instance. The findings established that the grant of the dealership was affected by bias and administrative impropriety, particularly in light of personal relationships among decision-makers. The decision reaffirmed that judicial review compels adherence to pro