Acquiring Officer, Divisional Secretary, Kotapola vs Jagath Chandana Abeygunawardena – BR/133/2014-2022

In the case between Jagath Chandana Abeygunawardena (Appellant-Respondent) and the Acquiring Officer, Divisional Secretary, Kotapola (Respondent-Appellant), the court addressed the issue of whether the Land Acquisition Board of Review erred in law by increasing the compensation for compulsory acquisition of land beyond the amount determined by the Acquiring Officer. The court held that the Board’s adoption of the Direct Comparison Method for property valuation and its resultant increase in compensation were legally valid, finding no procedural or legal defect in the Board’s evaluation or reasoning. The principle reaffirmed was that the Board of Review holds discretion in selecting appropriate valuation methods and is entitled to consider both expert evidence and relevant property factors,