Sri Lanka State Plantations Corporation v. The President, Labour Tribunal, Galle and Others – sllr 1992 volume 1 page 063

The case between Sri Lanka State Plantations Corporation and the President, Labour Tribunal, Galle, addressed the issue of whether State Counsel, acting under the Attorney-General, may represent a government-controlled public corporation in Labour Tribunal proceedings, particularly relating to an employee’s termination dispute. It was held that the order of the Labour Tribunal barring such representation is legally erroneous, reaffirming the principle that statutory rights to legal representation by the Attorney-General or his officers extend to public corporations as government agencies. This decision relied on interpretations of section 49 of the Industrial Disputes Act and judicial precedents, emphasizing that conditions such as the presence of a “positive state element” are not require