Dheerasena v Post Master and Others – sllr 2008 volume 1 page 349

In Dheerasena v. Post Master and others, the court addressed whether a retired Grade II Post Master is legally entitled to a full pension by adding prior service to his record and whether a writ of mandamus could compel the authorities to grant such a pension. The holding established that the power to grant a pension under the Minutes on Pensions constitutes a privilege rather than an enforceable legal right, and thus mandamus is not appropriate to compel such discretionary action. The court referenced precedents including J.B. Textiles Industries Ltd. v Minister of Finance and Perera v Chairman, Urban Council, emphasizing that judicial intervention is limited where the underlying benefit is discretionary and not a legally enforceable right, particularly where there has been inordinate del