Lanka Viduli Podu Sevaka Sangamaya vs. Ceylon Electricity Board – sllr 2019 volume 2 page 091

The case between Lanka Viduli Podu Sevaka Sangamaya (Plaintiff) and Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) (Defendant) addressed the issue of whether the CEB’s decision to institute a special “E Salary Scale” for Engineers, immediately following the board-approved Collective Agreement, was ultra vires, arbitrary, and illegal. It was held that the creation of this distinct salary scale without proper procedure and authority was invalid, reaffirming the principle that decisions of public entities affecting the public interest are subject to judicial review for illegality. This determination was based on established statutory principles, including the grant of locus standi to trade unions and the availability of public law remedies against actions of public bodies, emphasizing that an illegal adminis