Kanugala Mudiyanselage Abeywardhana vs Land Commissioner General and 4 others – CA WRIT APPLICATION NO. 171/2020-2022

In the case between Kanugala Mudiyanselage Abeywardhana (nominee based on his deceased father’s status as Permit Holder) and the Land Commissioner General along with other respondents, the court addressed the legal issue of the continuing validity of a nomination for succession made under a land permit, subsequently converted upon the issuance of a Grant in the name of the petitioner’s mother and other respondents. It was held that where a grant is issued pursuant to the satisfaction of all statutory conditions by the permit holder, the status of “owner” is conferred, making the initial nomination and its subsequent conversion by the mother valid, subject to proper legal process. The principle reaffirmed is that the rights attached to permit holders are preserved through the statutory tran