D. A. Piyaseeli vs Iddamalgoda Dissanayakalage Winson Ranasinghe – SC APPEAL 189/2014-2023

In the case between the Plaintiff (through substituted parties) and the Defendant, the court addressed the issue of ownership of certain land. The central legal questions concerned the validity of Deed No. 11763, the sufficiency and import of associated documentary evidence (including document P5 and Plan No. 838), and whether the Defendant’s claim of a constructive trust—arising from alleged financial duress—could negate the transfer of beneficial interest in the land. It was held that the Defendant did not establish the existence of a constructive trust by evidence and that the Plaintiff’s title, anchored in the deed and corroborating documents, prevailed. The principle reaffirmed was that a clear, duly executed deed—unaccompanied by adequate proof of adverse intention or constructive tr