Samaraweera v. Minister of Public Administration – sllr 2003 volume 3 page 064

The case between Samaraweera and the Minister of Public Administration addressed whether an administrative letter from 1989 could give rise to a statutory obligation enforceable by a writ of mandamus. It was determined that neither the administrative letter nor the procedural regulations in question created a statutory duty or constituted “law” for mandamus purposes. The findings established that a writ of mandamus could not be issued on the basis of non-binding administrative acts and regulations lacking legislative force. Reference was made to relevant case law and statutory interpretation, confirming the procedural ineligibility of the claim and establishing that withdrawal and delay further disentitled the petitioner to relief. The application was accordingly dismissed without costs, r