Muthu Banda v. Samarakoon Banda and Others – sllr 1989 volume 1 page 328

In the case between Muthu Banda (Plaintiff-Respondent) and Samarakoon Banda and others (Defendant-Appellants), the court examined whether a paddy field constituting paraveni property should be partitioned according to Kandyan common law rules, specifically regarding the inheritance rights of illegitimate children. The decision held that under Kandyan law, illegitimate children of parents of the same social status are entitled to succeed to their mother’s paraveni property in equal shares. The District Court’s application of Roman Dutch Law was found to be erroneous. The court relied upon the Kandyan Law Declaration and Amendment Ordinance, confirming that succession must follow Kandyan customs and not Roman Dutch principles. This judgment directed that the property be partitioned equally b