D.S.R.D. Fernando vs. Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa, State Minister of Home Affairs – SC FR 112/2021-2025

In the case between multiple Petitioners, including 295 candidates who applied for recruitment as Grama Niladhari (Grade III), and Respondents comprising the Public Service Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs, the court addressed the issue of alleged violations of the established Scheme of Recruitment (SOR) in the Grama Niladhari Service selection process. It was held that the procedural deviations—though inconsistent with the SOR—did not amount to an infringement of the petitioners’ constitutional rights under Articles 12(1) and 14(1)(g), nor did they create any enforceable legitimate expectation warranting intervention. The principle reaffirmed was that deviation from recruitment procedures, even if substantial, does not automatically entitle aggrieved applicants to judicial reli