M.R.C.C. Ariyarathne and others vs. Inspector General of Police and others – SC FR Application No. 444/2012 -2019

Brief
In the case between several petitioners (93 public officers, including S.H.M. Sunil) and respondents such as the Inspector General of Police and the Public Service Commission, the court addressed whether the petitioners, appointed as Development Assistants in the Department of Police under a graduate scheme, possessed a “legitimate expectation” of absorption into the Sri Lanka Police Force and whether the Service Minute (“P23”) and related Public Administration Circulars were arbitrary or in violation of Article 12(1) of the Constitution. It was determined that the evidence did not support an enforceable legitimate expectation of appointment as police officers, as the relevant appointment documents and established practice confirmed the status of the petitioners as civilian public of