The Surveyors’ Institute of Sri Lanka v. Acting Surveyor-General – sllr 1998 volume 1 page 266

The case between The Surveyors’ Institute of Sri Lanka and the Institution of Survey Engineers, Sri Lanka (Plaintiffs) and the Acting Surveyor-General with the Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Forestry (Defendants), addressed whether administrative decisions to cancel a selection test for surveyors and to initiate a training course at the Institute of Surveying and Mapping were ultra vires. It was held that such actions fell within the statutory authority of the respondents, reaffirming the principle that public bodies must act within the scope of their delegated powers and statutory framework. This decision relied upon the Surveyors’ Ordinance and related statutes, emphasizing the requirement for legal compliance in administrative conduct and underscoring that judicial review