Land Reform Commission v. Hussain and Others – sllr 1997 volume 2 page 173

In the case between Hussain and others and the Land Reform Commission, the court addressed the interpretation of Section 21 of the Land Reform (Special Provisions) Act, No. 39 of 1981, specifically concerning the vesting of agricultural lands acquired under the Land Acquisition Act and the relevant time limitations for such vesting. The central legal issue was whether the statutory declaration requirement and subsequent legislative amendments affected the entitlement to compensation and the vesting of acquired lands. It was concluded that the statutory vesting of land under the said Act was not confined to lands acquired within a narrow period but applied broadly without a restrictive time limitation, and that the subsequent amendment (Act No. 14 of 1986) did not have retrospective effect.