Illekuttige Helen Stella Philomina Feenando v. Govini Thanthirige Premasiri – SC APPEAL 206/2016-2017

In the case between Illekuttige Helen Stella Philomina Feenando and Thuduwage Dona Karunawathie Perera (Plaintiffs-Appellants) and Govini Thanthrige Premasiri (Defendant-Respondent), the court addressed the classification of a disputed road as either public or private. It was held that the plaintiffs had established, on a balance of probability, that the road in question was private and had not been vested as a public road in accordance with legal requirements. This determination reaffirmed the principle that for a road to be considered public, valid statutory vesting or clear evidence of public dedication and acceptance by a competent authority must be shown. Reliance was placed on relevant statutes, precedents, and evidentiary standards, underscoring that absence of proper legal vesting