Court of Appeal Overturns RDA Chief's Appointment

COLOMBO (News 1st) - The Court of Appeal today issued a writ order nullifying the appointment of S.M.P. Suriyabandara as Director General of the Road Development Authority (RDA), citing a violation of proper procedure.

In a parallel directive, the Court ordered the RDA and the Minister of Transport and Highways to appoint K.W. Kandambi to the post, effective from 05 March 2024.

The decision followed a writ petition filed by Kandambi, heard before a bench comprising Acting President of the Court of Appeal Mohamed Lafar Tahir and Justice Sarath Dissanayake.

President's Counsel Faizer Mustapha, appearing for the petitioner, argued that Kandambi—a civil engineer with 23 years of service at the RDA—had scored 61 marks in the official interview process, outscoring Suriyabandara, who was nevertheless appointed.

Mustapha contended that appointing a candidate with lower marks was unlawful and requested the Court to invalidate the decision.

Delivering the verdict, Acting President of the Court of Appeal Mohamed Lafar Tahir ruled that the respondents had violated established appointment procedures. 

The Court concluded that the selection process was entirely contrary to the law and issued the appropriate writ order accordingly.