Karunanayaka Gurunnanselage Somathilaka vs. Wilson Eheliyagoda – SC APPEAL 17/2012-2025

In the case between Karunanayaka Gurunnanselage Somathilaka and Defendants Wilson Eheliyagoda among others, the court addressed the determination of title in a partition action involving disputed land known as Medaheenna alias Millagahawatta. The central issues concerned the legal effect of a Settlement Order published in the Gazette, the significance of the registration of deeds, the application of the Roman‑Dutch law principle of exceptio rei venditae et traditae versus claims of prescriptive title, and the evidentiary consequences of long-standing possession. It was held that the claims of the plaintiff could not be sustained, as the 2nd and 3rd Defendants had established superior prescriptive title to the property in question. In reaffirming foundational principles regarding title, pos