Lanka Electricity Company (Private) Limited (LECO) vs. B.K. Prabhath Chandrakeerthi, Commissioner of Labour – CA/WRIT/ 753/23-2024

In the case between Lanka Electricity Company (Private) Limited (LECO) and, inter alia, B.K. Prabhath Chandrakeerthi (Commissioner of Labour) and others, the court addressed the issue of compliance with Section 31DDDDD of the Industrial Disputes Act (as amended by Act No. 22 of 2022) concerning mandatory preconditions for instituting a writ application, specifically the timely deposit of security and the submission of a confirming certificate. It was held that failure to fulfill these mandatory statutory requirements at the time of filing precluded jurisdiction to entertain the application. This position reaffirmed the principle that procedural compliance is a condition precedent to judicial review under the Industrial Disputes Act. Reliance was placed on both statutory provisions and esta