Beddage Tushara Wickramanavaka & other vs. Officer in Charge, Special Police Investigation Unit,National Child Protection Authority – CA/WRIT/305/2023-2024

In the matter between Beddage Tushara Wickramanavaka and Adriana Lakshya Wickramanayaka Cutter (owners of “Ixora Villa”) as petitioners and several officers and directors of the National Child Protection Authority, the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney General’s Department, and the National Authority for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses as respondents, the court addressed the issue of whether public authorities, specifically the Attorney General, could be compelled via a writ of mandamus under Article 140 of the Constitution to prosecute a matter expeditiously. The court held that such a writ may only be granted when a clear legal duty exists, and that prosecutorial discretion is not subject to judicial compulsion absent proof of mala fide action. Reference was made