September 05, Colombo (LNW): The Supreme Court has ruled that the Registrar General’s Department violated the fundamental human rights of several assistant registrars by indefinitely delaying their promotion examination.
The government has been ordered to pay a total of Rs. 3.3 million in compensation to the aggrieved petitioners.
The court’s decision stems from a fundamental rights petition filed by D. M. S. Dissanayake, Secretary of the All Ceylon Assistant Registrars Association, along with 132 assistant registrars.
The petitioners had been appointed to Grade III assistant registrar positions on 11th July 2005, and were due for promotion to the second grade through an examination scheduled for 2nd February 2013.
However, the Registrar General indefinitely postponed the examination based on an anonymous letter, without conducting a proper investigation.
The petitioners contended that this action unjustly obstructed their professional advancement, constituting a violation of their basic human rights.
The Supreme Court bench, led by Justice Janak De Silva and supported by Judges Gamini Amarasekara and Shiran Gunaratne, found that the Registrar General’s decision was arbitrary and unlawful.
The ruling highlighted how the government’s inaction in addressing such issues could severely impact individuals’ lives and undermine the efficiency of the public sector.
In its verdict, the court stressed the need for government authorities to act decisively and fairly in administrative matters, especially when such decisions have direct implications on citizens’ professional and personal lives.
The bench concluded that the Registrar General’s failure to address the anonymous complaint in a timely and thorough manner led to unnecessary delays, frustrating the legitimate expectations of the petitioners.
As compensation, the court ordered the government to pay Rs. 25,000 to each of the 132 assistant registrars affected by the postponement.
