Leelawathie vs Manel Ratnayake – sllr 1998 volume 3 page 349

In the case between Leelawathie (Plaintiff) and Manel Ratnayake (Defendant), the court addressed whether the right of a tenant, under Section 13 of the Ceiling on Housing Property Law to apply to purchase rented premises, is a personal right that ceases upon the tenant’s death, and if the substituted petitioner, the tenant’s daughter, could continue the application. It was held that the tenant’s right to purchase is personal and extinguishes upon death, precluding the substituted petitioner from proceeding. The decision reaffirmed the principle that statutory rights granted to a tenant under Section 13 are strictly personal and cannot be exercised by heirs or representatives. This interpretation relied on the language of the relevant sections and a distinction between Sections 9 and 13, em