Tellambure Gamage Jinapala vs Mihindukulasuriya Patabendige Antoni Upali Sarath Fernando – CA PHC/21/2008-2017

In the case between Tellambure Gamage Jinapala (Appellant) and Mihindukulasuriya Patabendige Antoni Upali Sarath Fernando, Conservator General, Department of Forests, and the Hon. Attorney General (Respondents), the court addressed the issue of lawful possession and the propriety of an eviction order under the State Lands (Recovery of Possession) Act. It was held that the Appellant failed to establish lawful possession or valid authority over the disputed State land, and that the orders for eviction issued by the Magistrate’s Court and affirmed by the Provincial High Court were proper. The decision reaffirmed the principle that persons occupying State land without valid authority are subject to eviction under the relevant statutory regime. Reliance was placed on the statutory requirements,