Wijerathna Arachchige Nethuli Sanulya and Wijerathna Arachchige Ravindra vs. Mrs. Sandya Irani Pathiranawasam and Others – CA WRIT/104/2019-2021

In the case between Wijerathna Arachchige Nethuli Sanulya (minor, represented by her father Wijerathna Arachchige Ravindra) and the members of the Interview and Appeal Boards of Southlands College, Galle, along with various education officials, the court addressed the lawfulness of the decision not to admit the 1st Petitioner to Grade 1 at Southlands College, Galle. It was determined that the deduction of marks in the admission process, based on proximity to other schools and religious quotas, was lawful under prevailing Ministry of Education circulars. The holding reaffirmed the principle that the relevant legal test concerns the presence or absence of legal restrictions on the admission of non-Roman Catholic Christian students at nearby schools, not the actual number historically admitte