Dr. Ranganathan Kapilan vs The University Services Appeals Board – CA WRIT 0430/2019-2023

Brief
In the case between Dr. Ranganathan Kapilan and the University Services Appeals Board, University of Jaffna, and associated officials, the court addressed the issue of whether the petitioner’s application for promotion to Full Professor was improperly evaluated by the Selection Panel and the independent panel. It was held that no illegality, arbitrariness, or procedural impropriety was established in the academic evaluation process or in the decisions of the University Services Appeals Board, and that no legal right or public duty required the respondents to appoint the petitioner. The decision reaffirmed the principle that judicial review of academic or expert evaluations is to be exercised with restraint, and that such decisions are best left to the appropriate expert bodies absent