The Bishop of Chilaw v. Wijenathan – sllr 1991 volume 2 page 153

Brief
In The Bishop of Chilaw v. Wijenathan, the court examined whether residential premises held under a charitable trust by the Bishop of Chilaw were “reasonably required” for charitable purposes, permitting recovery of possession from a tenant under the Rent Act. The key issue centered on whether legal title alone, absent beneficial ownership, entitled the landlord to regain possession for the trust’s charitable objectives. It was determined that holding legal title satisfied the statutory requirements for recovery and that section 22(7) of the Rent Act did not preclude such action based on the manner of title acquisition. Prior decisions and statutory interpretation were considered, leading to the reinstatement of the trial court’s order for ejectment, thus reaffirming that charitable