Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka vs. Hon. Ravindra Samaraweera, Minister of Labour and Trade Union Relations – CA/WRT/0533/2019-2024

In the case between Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (Plaintiff) and various government officials, including T.M. Nandasoma and H.P.K.U. Pathirathne (notable Defendants/Respondents), the court addressed whether the refusal to promote the 4th and 5th Respondents, despite qualifying for the Typist post, constituted discrimination and a violation of constitutional rights under Article 12(1). The central issue involved the legality of an industrial arbitrator’s award mandating their promotion and ordering back wages, as well as the scope of judicial review of such an award. It was held that the arbitrator’s powers under the Industrial Disputes Act are broad and that judicial review is confined to examining legality and procedural propriety, not the merits of the decision. The award was upheld a