Dr. Kodagoda Hitige Jayampathy Rohanakumara Wickramaratne vs. Hon. Upaly Abeyrathne et al. – CA WRIT 331/2021-2024

In the case between Dr. Kodagoda Hitige Jayampathy Rohanakumara Wickramaratne (Petitioner) and the 1st to 5th Respondents (including members and officials connected to the Commission of Inquiry), the court addressed whether the Commission’s decisions, findings, and recommendations complied with natural justice and statutory mandate. It was held that the recommendations were made without proper notice or service to the petitioner and in violation of natural justice, rendering the process procedurally flawed and ultra vires. The principle reaffirmed is that a body acting in an administrative or quasi-judicial capacity must observe the rules of natural justice and operate within its legal authority. Reliance was placed on relevant statutory provisions, administrative law principles—including