Wijetunge Mudiyanselage Lalith Kumara Wijetunge vs. Commissioner General of Agrarian Development et al. – SC/FR/181/2014-2024

Brief
In Wijetunge Mudiyanselage Lalith Kumara Wijetunge v. Commissioner General of Agrarian Development and others, the court addressed the issue of whether the petitioner’s right to equality under Article 12(1) of the Constitution was breached by irregularities in a public sector promotion process. It was held that the petitioner had been subjected to arbitrary administrative errors and differential treatment, particularly with regard to the evaluation of seniority and operational performance criteria, and that such conduct amounted to a violation of constitutional guarantees of equal treatment. The ruling reaffirmed the principle that public authorities must adhere to fair and transparent procedures in recruitment and promotion, invoking relevant constitutional provisions and case law t