Herath Mudiyanselage Bandara Menike v Jagath Dias, R.M.A.I. Rathnayake, J.B. Rathanasiri and Hon. Janaka Bandara Tennakoon – CA WRIT/383/19-2022

In the case between Herath Mudiyanselage Bandara Menike (Petitioner) and Jagath Dias, Director General of Pensions, along with other state respondents, the court addressed the entitlement of a mother to receive the pension benefits of her deceased, unmarried son, a public officer presumed to have died due to terrorist activities. It was held that the petitioner was entitled to the pension under the legal framework, including relevant Public Administration Circulars and Section 39(3)(i) of the Minutes on Pensions, on the basis that the deceased had no widow or children and his death was attributed to terrorism. The decision reaffirmed the principle that pension entitlements in such circumstances extend to dependent parents when statutory conditions are met. This conclusion relied on statuto