Bandara vs Chairman, Administrative Appeals Tribunal and Others – sllr 2020 volume 3 page 013

In the case between Bandara (Plaintiff) and Chairman, Administrative Appeals Tribunal and Others (Defendants), the court addressed the issue of whether the Administrative Appeals Tribunal was properly constituted when it delivered Order ‘P21’ with only two out of the requisite three members signing the order. The court held that Order ‘P21’ was a nullity as it was not made by a validly constituted Tribunal, reaffirming the principle that statutory bodies must strictly comply with prescribed procedural requirements when exercising statutory powers. This decision relied on the provisions of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act, No. 4 of 2002, and relevant case law, emphasizing that any deviation from the statutory composition of such decision-making panels renders their orders void and su