Naragal Nilantha de Silva & Naragal Rasindu Harshana de Silva vs. Akila Viraj Kariyawawsam & Others – SCFR 59/15-2017

In the case between Naragal Nilantha de Silva and Naragal Rasindu Harshana de Silva (Petitioners) and the Hon. Minister of Education, various secretaries, and the Principal of Dharmashoka Vidyalaya among others (Respondents), the court addressed the issue of whether the deduction of marks based on proximity to an alternative school and alleged technical breaches in the admissions process for Grade 1 constituted a violation of fundamental rights under Article 12(1) of the Constitution. The court held that the mark deduction based on established guidelines did not violate rights, and that procedural irregularities, such as incomplete signing of documents and the method of communication, were technical in nature and did not amount to discrimination or deprivation of substantive rights. Relian