D.K. Karandawela and Others v. Public Service Commission and Others – SC F.R.NO: 21/2015-2015

In the case between the Petitioners (unsuccessful applicants for the Sri Lanka Education Administration Service, SLEAS Class III vacancies, including individuals such as H. M. Jayaratne and others) and the Respondents (the Public Service Commission and the Ministry of Education), the issue concerned whether the exclusion of the Petitioners from appointment, and the revised pass mark criteria, constituted a breach of fundamental rights under Article 12(1) of the Constitution. The Petitioners alleged arbitrary and unequal treatment in the selection process for SLEAS appointments, citing differences in the cutoff marks applied to different cadres. The findings established that the adjustment of pass marks—permitted under statutory powers and justified by service exigencies—was neither arbitra