Geethani Hemamala Kotikawatte & Others vs. Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena & Others – CA WRIT 508/2022-2023

In the case between several nursing officers (including those in Grade I, Supra Grade, Special Grade, and Executive Grade) as Petitioners and high-ranking state officials such as the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, and Ministerial Secretaries as Respondents, the court addressed the issue of the legality of imposing a compulsory retirement age of 60 through the document marked P9. The court held that this imposition was invalid and that the Petitioners’ legitimate expectations—formed on the basis of prior legal provisions fixing retirement age at 63—were violated. The principle reaffirmed is that established expectations on employment terms cannot be altered by abrupt policy changes absent proper legal basis and procedural fairness. This decision relied on the Pension Minute, the Public