| A petition was filed in the Court of Appeal on behalf of two petitioners against the admission requirement in respect of an upper age limit stipulated in the Sri Lanka Law College entrance examination.
Petitioners Weerasinghe Arachchilege Rohan Weerasinghe and Rajapakse Priyantha Rajapakse cited the Incorporated Council of Legal Education, Law College Principal Dr. W.D.Rodrigo, Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem, Examinations Commissioner General Anura Edirisinghe and the Attorney General as respondents.
The petitioners are citizens of Sri Lanka and have the necessary qualifications required to sit the Law College entrance examination. They had an idea of sitting the exam and as such had obtained the Law College brochure for 2011. The petitioners said that to their surprise they found that there was a clause included that a student should not be less than 18 years of age and not more than 35 years of age to be eligible to sit the exam.
The petitioners claim that every rule or order made by the Council shall be published in the Gazeette and shall come into operation on the date of such publication or on such later date as may be specified in the by-law, rule or order, as the case may be.
Every by-law, rule or order made by the Council shall, as soon as convenient after its publication in the Gazette, be brought before Parliament for approval. Any by-law, rule or order which is not so approved shall be deemed to be rescinded as from the date of disapproval, but without prejudice to anything previously done thereunder
The petitioner stated that the introduction of an age limit of 35 years is irrational, unfair, arbitrary and contrary to the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 14(1) of the Constitution. In any event such an amendment can be introduced only as a law passed by Parliament.
The petition was filed by Attorney Mohan Balendra. |
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