Podinona v. Herathhamy and Others – sllr 1985 volume 2 page 237

In the case between Podinona (Plaintiff-Appellant) and Herathhamy and others (Defendants), the court addressed the revocability of a deed of transfer under Kandyan Law and the validity of a Kandyan marriage allegedly existing between Beatrice Ratnayake and Vincent Herathhamy. It was held that the purported revocation of the deed could not operate unless a valid marriage, established according to the requirements of registration under the Kandyan Marriage Ordinances, was proven with satisfactory evidence. Reliance was placed on the principle that the “best evidence” of such marriage is the statutory register or certificate. The findings established that oral evidence alone, in the absence of the prescribed documentary proof, was insufficient to establish the marriage. The appellate court af