Rathnasiri Jayasinghe vs Kasun Epa Senevirathna, Commissioner of Local Government – Western Province – CA PHC/109/2015-2020

In the case between Rathnasiri Jayasinghe & D. Lionel Silva (Members of the Panadura Aquatic Club) and Kasun Epa Senevirathna, Commissioner of Local Government—Western Province, Panadura Aquatic Club, Urban Council Panadura, and the Hon. Attorney General, the court addressed the legality of the eviction of the Panadura Aquatic Club from land under the State Land (Recovery of Possession) Act No. 7 of 1979. The court held that the Petitioners’ occupation of the land was unauthorized following the cancellation of Lease Agreement No. 17 by Agreement No. 157, and that due process was observed during the Magisterial ejectment proceedings. This decision reaffirmed the principle that lawful eviction under the State Land (Recovery of Possession) Act requires clear identification of unauthorized occ