The Supreme Court today (30) ordered the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) to register 82 SAITM medical graduates as medical practitioners within three weeks of time, says Ada Derana reporter.

The Supreme Court delivered the order considering a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition submitted by three graduates of South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), S.M. Halpe, D.T. Panduwawala and K.P. Marapana.

The judge bench consisted of Supreme Court Justices Buwaneka Aluwihare, Preethi Padman Surasena and L.T.B. Dehideniya.

The petitioners had stated that the Court of Appeal had issued a Writ Order calling for the registration of SAITM graduates as medical practitioners and this Writ Order was also approved by the Supreme Court.

However, the SLMC is intentionally refusing to register the SAITM graduates, the petitioners had alleged.

Accordingly, the Supreme Court judge bench ruled that the SLMC has violated fundamental rights of the SAITM graduates by failing to register them.

Justice Surasena, pointing out that the SLMC is not authorized to act in this manner, reminded that the Court of Appeal, as well as the Supreme Court, previously issued orders to register SAITM graduates.

The judge bench then ordered the SLMC to register the graduates within three weeks of time and to pay Rs 200,000 to each of the petitioners as court fees.