University of Colombo case seeks Rs. 5M compensation over alleged bribery, exam irregularities and disputed results in a diploma programme.
A University of Colombo case seeking Rs. 5M in compensation has brought a series of serious allegations over examinations, bribery and academic administration before the Nugegoda District Court.
The action was filed by Sanath Kumara Athukorala, a student of the Faculty of Management and Finance at the University of Colombo.
The case concerns his studies in the Advanced Diploma in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management for the 2022/2023 academic period.
According to the allegations set out in the source material, Athukorala claims he faced unfair treatment after refusing financial and personal requests allegedly connected to a lecturer.
The claims remain allegations before court and have not been established as fact.
University of Colombo Case Details Alleged Rs. 80,000 Request
The complaint centres partly on subject 508, Operations Management for Small Businesses.
Athukorala alleges that lecturer D.C.L. Diyaguarachchi requested Rs. 80,000 to be deposited into her personal account through another student.
He also alleges that a separate dispute arose during a workshop held at Wijaya Resort in Kiriella in May 2024.
According to the complaint, Athukorala refused a request to provide accommodation for the lecturer’s husband at the resort.
He claims this refusal, together with his alleged rejection of the financial request, later led to retaliation.
The source article further alleges that examination papers were leaked to other students before the examination.
Athukorala also claims that he was unfairly failed in the subject as a result of the dispute.
These allegations are now among the issues placed before the court for consideration.
Claims Over Results Changed Without Re-Examination
The case also raises broader allegations about examination and certification procedures within the programme.
According to the complaint, a group of students who had initially been informed in January 2025 that they had failed later received revised results in April 2025 showing passes.
The source article alleges that no re-examination took place before those results changed.
Athukorala further claims that complaints had already been submitted to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and to the university administration.
However, he alleges that convocations proceeded while those complaints and related inquiries remained unresolved.
The complaint also states that certificates were issued to students whose earlier results had shown failures, despite objections he had raised.
Another allegation concerns subject 510.
According to the source material, Rs. 3,500 was collected from each student in connection with project work.
The article alleges that students who showed little or no active participation nevertheless received high marks after making the payment.
No finding of wrongdoing has been made on these claims.
Wider Allegations of Academic Misconduct Raised
The original article also places the present dispute within a broader history of allegations involving academic misconduct.
It refers to past reports accusing some senior academics and lecturers of seeking sexual favours from female students in return for grades, class placements or scholarships.
Those historical allegations are not adjudicated within the present compensation case and should not be treated as findings against the current respondents.
The source article argues that such past accusations have now been joined by allegations of direct cash demands ranging from Rs. 80,000 to Rs. 100,000.
The respondents named in the case, according to the material provided, include
- Lecturer D.C.L. Diyaguarachchi of the Faculty of Management and Finance
- Lecturer W.P. Premaratne
- Head of Department Sashika Abeydheera Manorathna
- Dean H.M. Nihal Hennayaka
- Additional Registrar Wajira Hapuhinnaya Jayaratne
- Former Vice-Chancellor H.D. Karunaratne
- Current Vice-Chancellor Indika Mahesh Karunathilaka
- The Attorney General
Also named are Additional Registrar Wajira Hapuhinnaya Jayaratne, former Vice-Chancellor H.D. Karunaratne, current Vice-Chancellor Indika Mahesh Karunathilaka and the Attorney General.
Their inclusion as respondents does not by itself establish liability or misconduct.
Calls for Independent Scrutiny and Accountability
The University of Colombo case has now placed the handling of student complaints, examination results and internal investigations under closer scrutiny.
The source article calls on the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and the Ministry of Education to examine the allegations fully.
It also argues that students who spend time and money completing academic programmes should receive transparent assessment procedures and equal treatment.
The case before the Nugegoda District Court is expected to determine the legal merits of Athukorala’s claims and the Rs. 500,000 compensation he is seeking.
Until then, the allegations against individual lecturers and administrators remain contested claims requiring judicial or independent investigation.
The wider issue, however, is already clear. Confidence in a university’s academic standards depends heavily on transparent examinations, accountable administration and credible procedures for handling complaints.
