Samrin Holdings (Pvt) Ltd Vs Sri Lanka Tea Board and Three Others – CA WRIT WRT – 0364/20-2023

In the case between Samrin Holdings (Pvt) Ltd / Samrin Tea Factory (the petitioner) and the Sri Lanka Tea Board and its officials (respondents), the court addressed the legality of suspending a tea factory’s registration based on a non-gazetted circular regarding permissible glucose levels, within the context of the Tea Control Act. The holding affirmed that the suspension—though premised on an administrative circular—was lawful, as the directives of the Tea Commissioner were found to possess valid regulatory force. The proceedings established that the inquiry met standards of procedural fairness, including providing the petitioner with adequate opportunity to respond, even when the petitioner declined a retest opportunity. Reliance was placed on the statutory framework of the Tea Control