Professor Kapila Perera has tendered his resignation as Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, Ada Derana reported on Friday, citing sources.
The move comes a week after the Supreme Court ruled that he had violated the fundamental rights of a senior Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) officer by blocking him from taking up an Additional Secretary post to which the Public Service Commission had appointed him.
Prof. Perera has informed President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of his decision and officially notified the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, the report said.
A senior academic who had moved into public service from a university post, Prof. Perera has decided to step down at the close of his tenure in the public sector and is reportedly preparing to return to the university service. He previously served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa.
The 19 May judgment by Justice Arjuna Obeyesekere, with Justices Sobhitha Rajakaruna and Janak de Silva concurring, held that Prof. Perera had acted arbitrarily and interfered with powers vested in the Public Service Commission, undermining the petitioner’s equal-protection rights under Article 12(1) of the Constitution.
Speaking at his farewell event late Friday, Prof. Perera denied that the resignation was triggered by the Supreme Court ruling, telling reporters he had been requesting permission to leave since October 2025 to return to the University of Moratuwa for the final academic year before retirement. “The Supreme Court judgment has nothing to do with my decision. I had already decided to leave and had been requesting permission for months,” he said, adding that he had postponed his departure several times to complete budget proposals and other ministry work.
