U.W. Karunasena et al. vs. Dr. Senerath Dissanayake, Director General of Archaeology et al. – SC FR APPLICATION 248/2016-2024

In the case between several Petitioners (employees of the Department of Archaeology, including the 1st to 86th Petitioner) and Respondents (notably the Director General of Archaeology, Public Service Commission, and other related officials), the court addressed whether the introduction and implementation of a new Scheme of Recruitment (SoR) for the position of Assistant Director constituted a violation of fundamental rights under Articles 12(1) and 14(1) of the Constitution. The Petitioners alleged the new SoR unlawfully disqualified longstanding employees from promotion and was introduced without proper consultation. The Respondents maintained that the SoR was lawfully approved and argued the application was out of time. The court held that the Petitioners’ application was barred due to u