Somadasa Alahapperuma vs Kankanam Gamage Kusumawathie – SC APPEAL 126/2011-2024

In the case between Somadasa Alahapperuma (Plaintiff/Appellant) and Kankanam Gamage Kusumawathie with Seetha Wickramasinghe (Defendant/Respondents), the court addressed whether the Plaintiff had successfully established devolution of title to the disputed land through a coherent chain of inheritance and documentary evidence, and whether the 2nd Defendant’s adverse possession met legal requirements. It was held that the Plaintiff’s evidence, comprised of various deeds and chain-of-title, was inconsistent and insufficient to prove exclusive entitlement, while the 2nd Defendant’s claim of uninterrupted, exclusive adverse possession was properly substantiated. The principal holding reaffirmed that clear, consistent documentary evidence is required to establish title, while long uninterrupted a