Kandiah v. Land Reform Commission and Two Others – sllr 1988 volume 2 page 119

In Kandiah v. Land Reform Commission and Others, the issue concerned whether the petitioner, as a co-owner of estates acquired under the Land Acquisition Act holding less than 50 acres, qualified as a “statutory lessee” under the Land Reform (Special Provisions) Act No. 39 of 1981. The court determined that the language of section 21 conferred statutory lessee status on the petitioner, irrespective of landholding size, and obligated the Land Reform Commission to alienate the maximum extent of agricultural land accordingly. It was established that refusal to implement this statutory duty, particularly following an initial decision in favour of the petitioner, constituted a breach warranting judicial intervention. The judgment relied on the plain text of the statutory provisions and reinforc