Leo Samson v. Sri Lankan Airlines Ltd. and Others – sllr 2001 volume 1 page 094

In the case between Leo Samson (Plaintiff) and Sri Lankan Airlines Ltd and others (Defendants), the court addressed whether the termination of services and certain managerial postings by Sri Lankan Airlines constituted a violation of the petitioner’s fundamental rights under Article 12(1) of the Constitution. The applications were dismissed on the basis that the impugned actions did not amount to “executive or administrative action” under the Constitution because management control of the company was vested in a private investor, not the Government. It was determined that the requisite degree of State control—“deep and pervasive”—was absent, and therefore the actions were outside the scope of judicial review for constitutional rights violations. This relied on detailed analysis of the Shar