Supreme Court order gives green light to Kohan’s appointees

By Stanley Samarasinghe
The Supreme Court stayed an order issued by the Court of Appeal which directed Foreign Ministry Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona to stop the appointment of four individuals as clerical officers to several Sri Lankan Missions abroad. The Supreme Court order now allows the appointments to go ahead.

Earlier the Court of Appeal ordered Kohona to stop the appointments after considering the applications of G.K. Piyadasa and WG Muthubanda, President and General Secretary of all Ceylon Public Management Assistant Officers’ Union respectively. The applicants held Dr. Kohona, Foreign Affairs Ministry Additional Secretary D.M. Ranaraja and Overseas Administration Director U.L.M. Jauhar, Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and four others appointed as clerical officers to Sri Lanka Missions abroad, as respondents.

According to the criteria set out in the gazette, persons who are not in public service are not eligible to join a foreign mission. But, P.G.P.B. Sirisena (London), M.K. Vijaya (Sydney), Roshan Wijesinghe (Kuwait), P.W.D.D.C. Jayatilaka (Stokehole) have been appointed to such positions.

In order to join the All Ceylon Public Management Assistant Service Cader in Sri Lanka Missions Abroad, one must sit for a written examination and face an interview. But these individuals have not fulfilled such requirements.

The Bench comprising of Justice Nimal Amarathunga, Jagath Balapatabenhi and P.A. Ratnayake revoked the order issued by the Court of Appeal.