De Silva v. The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. – 1978_79 volume 2 page 173

In the case between De Silva (Plaintiff) and The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. (Defendant), the court addressed the issue of whether the applicant qualified as a “workman” under a contract of service or functioned as an independent contractor under a contract for services. The case involved review of a series of fixed-term contractual arrangements and the applicant’s contention regarding unlawful termination and his claims to reinstatement, compensation, and gratuity. It was held that the applicant was a workman under a contract of service, but due to the fixed-term nature of his engagement, no right to reinstatement or compensation arose, though entitlement to gratuity was established. The principle reaffirmed is that employment status must be determined by substance rather than fo