Locomotive Operators Engineers Union & Others v. Justice N.E. Dissanayake & Others – CA/WRIT/339/2019-2021

In the case between Locomotive Operators Engineers Union and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), the court addressed the legality of the AAT’s order, which permitted appointments of Engine Drivers (Grade III, ‘limited category’) above the maximum age limit based on later concessions by the Public Service Commission (PSC). The court held that the AAT acted without jurisdiction by allowing the appeal solely on PSC’s consent and without proper inquiry or ensuring procedural fairness for potentially affected parties. The principle reaffirmed is that jurisdiction cannot be conferred to a statutory authority merely by consent and that public recruitment must comply with established procedural safeguards and statutory recruitment rules. Reliance was placed on constitutional provisions rela