B.H.D.H. Tilakaratne vs. B.A.P. Ariyarathna, General Manager of Railways – SC FR 272/2016-2024

In the case between B.H.D.H. Tilakaratne (petitioner) and Mr. B.A.P. Ariyarathna (General Manager of Railways) along with the Hon Attorney General (respondents), the court addressed whether the refusal to appoint the petitioner as Station Master Grade III—allegedly due to physical fitness—amounted to a violation of fundamental rights under Articles 12(1), 12(4), and 14(1)(g) of the Constitution. The application was dismissed upon determining that the petitioner could not establish that the recruitment process or the resultant decision was arbitrary or in violation of constitutional protections. The legal reasoning centered on the distinction between promotion and fresh appointment, the statutory and evidential standards governing recruitment and physical fitness requirements, and the absen