Writ issued against Samurdhi Authority

The Court of Appeal on Monday issued notice returnable on September 7 on the Director General Samurdhi Authority and Board members in a case filed by 10 Internal Audit (Grade VI) officers of the Authority for allegedly denying them promotion to a higher grade.

The Bench comprised Justice S Sri Skandaraja, president of the Court of Appeal and Justice H N J Perera. Petitioners stated that they have been made to stagnate in the same post for a period exceeding 10 years unreasonably due to the failure on the part of the 1st to 8th respondents to take timely and meaningful action in addressing the grievances of the Internal Audit Officers grade VI as a result of which they have been deprived of the opportunities of any kind of promotion reasonably desired by any employee.

The petitioners respectfully further state that the glaring nature of discrimination meted out to grade VI Internal Audit Officers becomes crystal clear when compared with the promotions offered to Samurdhi officers who were originally recruited to the same grade and on the same salary scale as the petitioners and some of them have now even risen to the grade IV and are enjoying a much higher salary whereas the petitioners are still placed in the initial salary scale.

They prayed court to issue a writ of mandamus compelling the 1st and/or 2nd and/or 3rd and/or 4th and/or 5th and/or 6th and/or 7th and/or 8th respondents to take immediate steps to fill the vacancies in Internal Audit Officers grade V from the internal officers of the 1st Respondent Authority w.e.f. the date on which Dr Jayatissa De Costa PC Wijeratne Hewage and Lihiru Silva appeared for the petitioners.

They completed the minimum qualification, with back wages.