P. Mariyasekar Vs. Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Co-operation – CA PHC APN 32/2019-2019

In the case between Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Co-operation (SLLRDC) and P. Mariyasekar, the court addressed the issue of whether SLLRDC was entitled to recover possession of the subject land under the State Lands (Recovery of Possession) Act No. 7 of 1979 when the land had been acquired by the State under the Land Acquisition Act. The court held that possession could be recovered by SLLRDC pursuant to the procedure under the State Lands (Recovery of Possession) Act even for lands acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, reaffirming the principle that subsequent judicial authority permits such use of the Act. Reliance was placed on the precedent set in Namunukula Plantations PLC v. Nimal Punchihewa, which had overruled earlier restrictions established in Edwin v. Tillakarat