Don Shelton Hettiarachchi v. Sri Lanka Ports Authority And Others – sllr 2007 volume 2 page 307

In the case between Don Shelton Hettiarachchi (petitioner) and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and others (respondents), the Court addressed whether the appointments of the 4th and 5th respondents to key engineering and advisory positions at the Sri Lanka Ports Authority violated Article 12(1) of the Constitution, concerning the right to equality. The petitioner contended that longstanding practice required the highest engineering posts to be reserved for Civil Engineers and that appointing a non-Civil Engineer amounted to discrimination. It was determined that there was insufficient evidence to establish an exclusive practice for Civil Engineers and that the relevant statutory and administrative provisions permitted appointments based on seniority, suitability, and managerial competence. Fu