The Supreme Court has dismissed around 40 fundamental rights petitions filed by nearly 1,050 police officers who were not promoted and had challenged recent promotions to various ranks within the Sri Lanka Police Service.
The judgment was delivered yesterday (8) by Supreme Court Justice Mahinda Samayawardhena, with Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justice Sampath Wijeratne concurring, said Ada Derana reporter.
The petitions challenged promotions granted in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023 during the tenures of former Inspectors General of Police Pujith Jayasundara, C.D. Wickramaratne and Deshabandu Tennakoon.
The promotions challenged included those from Police Constable to Police Sergeant, Police Sergeant to Sub-Inspector and Sub-Inspector to Inspector.
In its judgment, the Supreme Court held that the petitioners had failed to provide sufficient information to satisfy the Court that irregularities had occurred in the promotion process.
The Court further ruled that the petitioners had failed to establish that their fundamental right to equal protection of the law, guaranteed under Article 12(1) of the Constitution, had been violated.
Accordingly, the Supreme Court dismissed the petitions.
