Rajapakse Mapa Mudiyanselage Piyasena Rajapakse vs Leka Geethanjali Perera Chairman of the Appointed Committee, Senior Assistant Secretary,(Administration & Transport), Ministry of Agriculture, – CA WRIT 366/21-2024

In the case between Rajapakse Mapa Mudiyanselage Piyasena Rajapakse (Plaintiff) and several public officials, including Leka Geethanjali Perera and R. A. Uthpala A. Gunasekara (Defendants), the court addressed whether the committee investigating the petitioner’s grievance violated the principles of natural justice and whether the substantial delay in seeking judicial review precluded relief. It was held that the committee’s informal inquiry satisfied procedural fairness requirements and that considerable procedural delay, combined with previous unsuccessful appeals, nullified the petitioner’s claims. The court reaffirmed the principle that administrative inquiries must offer adequate opportunity to be heard but need not adhere to a judicial format unless required by law. Reliance was place