Upasena vs Richard Pathirana Minister of Education and Others – sllr 2004 volume 3 page 242

In the case between Upasena (petitioner, former President of Hapitigama College of Education) and Richard Pathirana, Minister of Education, and others, the court addressed whether the refusal to grant a second extension of service to the petitioner constituted an arbitrary and unreasonable violation of fundamental rights under Article 12(1) of the Constitution. The court held that the denial of the extension, despite compliance with the required qualifications and a record of satisfactory service, amounted to an unreasonable administrative decision and violated the petitioner’s constitutional rights. The court reaffirmed the principle that administrative actions affecting public service tenure must be based on transparent and reasonable criteria and should not disregard procedural fairness