Maththumagala Kankanamalage Victor Alwis & Others vs. Maththumagala Kankanamalage Newton Alwis – SC APPEAL 5/2013-2018

In the case between Maththumagala Kankanamalage, Victor Alwis, Mallawaarachchige Nalani, Chandralatha, Maththumagala Kankanamalage, Dushantha Sanjeewa (Plaintiff-Appellants) and Maththumagala Kankanamalage Newton Alwis (Defendant-Respondent), the court addressed whether a minor’s acceptance of a deed of gift was legally valid and whether a licensee’s possession qualified for prescriptive title to property. It was held that the acceptance of the gift by the minor was valid, given the evidence of sufficient understanding. The court further determined that possession based on a license does not amount to adverse possession and thus cannot fulfill the requirements for prescriptive title under the law. The principle reaffirmed is that prescriptive title cannot be acquired by a party whose occup