Gooneratne and Others v. Chandrananda De Silva, Commissioner of Elections – sllr 1987 volume 2 page 165

In the case between Goonerathne and Others (members and officials of the Eksath Lanka Janatha Pakshaya) and Chandrananda de Silva, Commissioner of Elections, the court addressed the issue of whether the refusal to register the Eksath Lanka Janatha Pakshaya as a recognised political party was justified. The court held that the Commissioner’s refusal, based on the party’s alleged lack of maturity and insufficient period of existence, was not justified. It was determined that a political party’s qualification for recognition must be evaluated holistically, considering its organisation, aims, and activities rather than solely the duration of its existence. The finding reaffirmed the principle that statutory discretion must be exercised reasonably and without discrimination, and administrative