UGC Directed to Admit Student After Unlawful Rejection by Ministry

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has ruled that the refusal to admit a Sri Lankan student, who passed the Advanced Level equivalent examination in Russia, into a local medical faculty has violated his fundamental human rights. 

The Court has ordered the University Grants Commission (UGC) to immediately admit the student to a medical faculty of a state university.

This ruling was delivered after considering the petition filed by Isula Damsith Jayarathna, a resident of Borella, who challenged the injustice he faced several years ago.

The order was issued yesterday (5) by Justice Arjuna Obeyesekere, with the concurrence of Justices Janak de Silva and Sobhitha Rajakaruna.

The petitioner stated that he had completed his GCE Ordinary Level examination at Royal College, Colombo.

He further noted that he left for Russia after his father, a Squadron Leader in the Sri Lanka Air Force, was appointed as a Defence Advisor to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Russia. 

There, he completed his Senior School Certificate Examination at a school attended by students from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. He stated in the petition that this qualification is equivalent to the Sri Lankan GCE Advanced Level examination.

Subsequently, he applied, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for admission to a medical faculty of a state university in Sri Lanka.

However, the Ministry rejected his application, stating that he did not fall under the relevant criteria.

The student stated that this decision violated his fundamental human rights.

Issuing the judgment, Justice Obeyesekere noted that upon examining all submissions, the petitioner does meet the required criteria for admission to a medical faculty of a state university.

The Court further held that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no authority to intervene in this matter and that its decision to reject the application was unlawful.