Rajya Seva Eksath Heda Sangamaya vs Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena et al. – CA WRIT 507/2022-2022

In the case between the Public Services United Nurses’ Union and individual petitioners versus the Prime Minister, various Cabinet Ministers, and Secretaries from ministries including Public Administration and Health, the court considered the legality of a policy decision reducing the compulsory retirement age of public officers, specifically nursing officers, from 63 to 60 years. The holding determined that the impugned policy contained in document P9 was unlawful, quashed the decision to prematurely retire nursing officers at 60, and directed reinstatement of those affected. The legal reasoning reaffirmed the principle of legitimate expectation for public officers based on prior official representations and emphasized the supremacy of established statutory and administrative procedures i