Peter Joseph Polraj v. Rohan Edward and E.C.K. De Alwis – CA PHC CASE NO. 70/2005-2015

In the case between Peter Joseph Polraj (Petitioner-Appellant) and Rohan Edward and E.C.K. De Alwis (Respondents), the court addressed whether land occupied by the Petitioner following the dissolution of the Dunsinane Co-operative Society was State land or vested in a private entity (Elpitiya Plantation Ltd.), and whether the High Court of the Province possessed jurisdiction to issue a writ of Certiorari to quash a “notice to quit” regarding possession of such land. It was held that the land, though managed by a private company, remained vested in the State under the relevant statutory scheme, and that the High Court lacked jurisdiction to grant relief in respect of issues concerning State land. The court reaffirmed the principle that lands leased or managed by private plantation companies