W.P.S. Wijerathna v. Sri Lanka Ports Authority and Others – SC FR APPLICATION NO. 256/17-2020

In the case between W.P.S. Wijerathna and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (including its Chief Human Resources Manager and officers, the Auditor General’s Department, and the Attorney General), the court addressed the issue of alleged infringement of Fundamental Rights arising from the recruitment and appointment procedure to the position of ‘Station Officer’ within the Authority’s Fire Brigade. The holding determined that the denial of appointment to the petitioner constituted an arbitrary and capricious exercise of power, infringing the petitioner’s rights guaranteed under Article 12(1) of the Constitution, which enshrines the right to equality. Key legal questions included whether the recruitment complied with published eligibility criteria and whether subsequent selection actions were pr