A senior forest officer breaks her silence, questioning whether merit and seniority still matter in Sri Lanka’s public service promotions.
Ms. Devani Jayathilaka, a senior officer attached to the Forest Conservation Department, has raised serious concerns over recent service promotions, igniting a wider conversation on fairness, seniority and administrative justice within the public sector.
Widely known for her outspoken positions on environmental protection and forest governance, Jayathilaka has now turned her attention inward, alleging that officers junior to her have been elevated to higher positions while she has been repeatedly overlooked. Her remarks, shared in a lengthy social media post, reflect growing frustration with what she describes as a systematic disregard for established promotion norms.
“For a long time, the posts of Zonal Deputy Conservator of Forests were given based on seniority,” she wrote, suggesting that this long standing practice appears to have shifted following administrative changes linked to decisions made before Anura Kumara assumed the presidency. She notes that since then, officers junior to her have been placed in charge of several zones on an acting basis, creating what she calls clear administrative anomalies.
Jayathilaka highlights a particularly contentious episode in which a retired Assistant Conservator of Forests, Mr. Wijepala, was appointed to an acting zonal position while serving officers including herself were available. She states that she raised objections on multiple occasions, pointing out the unfairness of these decisions, but says her concerns were ignored.
“When the acting basis was removed, I expected all posts to be filled fairly,” she wrote. Instead, she says her application for an annual transfer was rejected, as was her subsequent appeal. Despite assurances, by December 29, 2025, all relevant posts had reportedly been allocated except hers, even though she claims to be the most senior eligible officer.
She further argues that ignoring seniority has now become an established precedent, affecting not only her but also other senior officers such as Mr. Wijeratne, who is second in line by seniority. “Can a post be given to someone who does not hold a post at all?” she asked, questioning the legality and logic of the decisions.
While expressing resignation about her own situation, Jayathilaka says her primary aim is to prevent similar injustices in the future. In a sharp closing remark, she added, “If promotions were given based on injustice suffered, I should have been a General by now,” recalling years she served under less senior officers and the mental distress that followed.
Her statement has reignited debate on transparency, seniority based promotions and governance standards within Sri Lanka’s state institutions.
