W.V. Karunarathna et al. vs. Justice N.E. Dissanayake et al. – CA WRIT/88/2021-2022

In the case between W.V. Karunarathna and others (Petitioners) and the Members of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Public Service Commission, and related government officials (Respondents), the court addressed whether Petitioners, retrospectively promoted to Rubber Development Officer Grade-I, were entitled to salary arrears from the effective date of promotion or only from the date of a prior Supreme Court judgment. It was held that the failure to pay salary arrears for the full retroactive period constituted an error in law and administrative discretion, reaffirming the principle that salary and related benefits follow the effective date of promotion under the Establishment Code. The ruling relied on statutory authority and Supreme Court precedents, clarifying that administrative aut