Gunawardana Kulawadu Mestrige Jinali Renuka Fernando vs. Warnakulasuriya Mestrige Sujatha de Silva – SC/APPEAL/137/2022-2025

The court addressed the issue of competing claims to title over adjoining land parcels, including disputes concerning conflicting survey plans, deed priority, prescriptive title, and correct land identification. It was held that the defendants’ deed and accompanying survey plan prevailed over the plaintiffs’ evidence, resulting in dismissal of the plaintiff’s action and realignment of the disputed land. The principle reaffirmed was that proper identification of the corpus and priority of deeds, supported by reliable survey evidence, are paramount in resolving land disputes. The decision relied on established precedents concerning evaluation of title, prescriptive claims, and the weight of documentary and survey evidence, clarifying that reliance must be placed on the most accurate legal an