Augustine Perera and Others v. Richard Pathirana, Minister of Education and Others – sllr 2003 volume 1 page 125

In the case between Augustine Perera and others (including the All Ceylon Principals’ Service Union and several retired Principals) and Richard Pathirana, Minister of Education, and others, the issue addressed involved whether the non-retrospective correction of salary anomalies following the 1995 revision of Teachers’ salary scales constituted a violation of fundamental rights for Principals under Article 12(1) of the Constitution. The court determined that denying retrospective salary adjustments to Principals, while Teachers received favorable treatment, lacked a rational basis and led to unequal treatment. This holding reaffirmed the principle of equality before the law, particularly regarding the treatment of public sector employees under constitutional protections. The decision empha