Mohamed Wahid v. Rev. Wattegama Sumana Tissa and Rev. Kalundewe Chandrasiri – SC APPEAL NO. 139/2013-2017

In the case between Mohamed Wahid (probate holder of the estate of the late Muhandiramge Aboobakkar Lebbe Mohamed Yusoof) and the substituted defendants including Rev. Wattegama Sumana Tissa and related parties, the court addressed the issue of whether the plaintiff possessed valid title to an agricultural property at the time the action was filed, in view of the operation of the Land Reform Law. It was held that the plaintiff’s action, commenced prior to the gazette publication signifying statutory determination under the Law, was unsustainable since title did not vest until publication on 11.03.1994. The decision reaffirmed the principle that statutory vesting under the Land Reform Law only occurs upon such gazette notification, and actions brought beforehand do not confer standing. The