Ekanayake and 4 Others vs. Ratranhamy – sllr 2013 volume 1 page 305

In the case between Ekanayake and others (appellants) and BTAB Maddegama and others (respondents), the court addressed the issue of entitlement to land following the cancellation of a prior Statutory Determination and the admissibility of new evidence, specifically a Gazette Notification, under Section 773 of the Civil Procedure Code. It was held that the High Court acted correctly in admitting and considering the Gazette Notification that cancelled the earlier determination of title, and that the burden of proof in a vindicatory action lies with the plaintiff to maintain title throughout the proceedings. The legal principle reaffirmed is that the legal status of title must be established and maintained by the claimant at all stages, and material supervening events affecting title can be c