Piyasiri v. People’s Bank – sllr 1989 volume 2 page 047

In the case between Piyasiri and People’s Bank, the issue was whether People’s Bank, when administering internal promotion policies via Staff Circular 186/82, acts as a public body performing statutory duties subject to a writ of mandamus, or remains a commercial entity exercising internal discretion. It was held that People’s Bank’s promotional processes are inherently commercial, with Staff Circular 186/82 lacking statutory force and thus not amounting to the imposition of a public duty. Established principles reaffirmed that the existence of ministerial control or policy documents without statutory backing does not transform such internal matters into public duties. This stance relied upon the People’s Bank Act, section 42A, and relevant jurisprudence addressing state-related entities’