D.P. Mathangaweera vs Chaminda Ekanayake et al. – CA WRIT/365/2017-2022

In the case between D. P. Mathangaweera and Chaminda Ekanayake, A. S. W. Dahanayake (Assistant Commissioners of Agrarian Development), and others, the court examined whether the inquiry conducted under section 90 of the Agrarian Development Act complied with natural justice, and the validity of the petitioner’s claim to tenant cultivator rights. The findings established that the petitioner’s claim, based on familial connection and contested documents, was not substantiated, and that no procedural irregularity justified quashing the administrative order or compelling a fresh inquiry. The principle reaffirmed was that procedural propriety under section 90 and evidentiary sufficiency are essential for the grant of writs, with reliance placed on statutory mandates and established rules of natu