D D Gnanawathi Ranasinghe vs. Hon. Minister of Lands and Others – SC APPEAL 87A/2006-2017

In the case between PHK Dharmasiri Ranasinghe (substituted for D D Gnanawathi Ranasinghe, Petitioner-Appellant) and the Minister of Lands, Divisional Secretary of Nugegoda, Urban Development Authority, Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation, and the Attorney-General’s Department, the court addressed the entitlement of the Petitioner-Appellant to have certain land divested due to its alleged non-utilization for the public purpose for which it was acquired. It was held that the state had taken possession of the property and that compensation had been paid to multiple claimants, rendering the Petitioner-Appellant ineligible for relief by divestment or revocation of the vesting order. The principle reaffirmed is that, under the Land Acquisition Act—specifically Sections 39 and