Werage Sunil Jayasekera and Others vs. B.A.P. Ariyaratne and Others – SC FR NO. 64/2014-2022

In the case between several petitioners from the Railway Protection Force (including long-serving Sub Inspectors such as T. Perera and S. Fernando) and the Department of Railways, the primary legal issue concerned whether the petitioners possessed a legitimate expectation—arising from recommendations by the Human Rights Commission and the Public Petitions Committee—to be promoted on a supernumerary basis despite long-term stagnation in rank. The central holding determined no substantive legitimate expectation existed under the operative Scheme of Recruitment, with promotion eligibility still contingent on competitive examinations and established procedures. Article 12(1) of the Constitution was examined, but no breach was found in the respondents’ actions or inaction. The court reaffirmed