K.W.S.P. Jayawardhana and 24 Others vs. Gotabhaya Jayaratne and Others – SC F.R. APPLICATION 338/2012-2018

In the case between members of the Sri Lanka Teachers’ Service and Sri Lanka Principals Service (as petitioners) and the Ministry of Education and the Public Service Commission (as respondents), the court addressed the legality of the appointment process to Class III of the Sri Lanka Education Administrative Service (SLEAS). It was determined that the respondents’ actions, which included the irregular “absorption” of officers and a deviation from the recruitment process set out in Service Minute “P2,” constituted a breach of the petitioners’ fundamental rights under Article 12(1) of the Constitution. The decision emphasized that appointments must be strictly governed by the officially published recruitment procedure, and any departure from the established guidelines on calculating and disc