Peya Korale Gedara Leelawathie Udagama v. Galwatte Gedara Nishantha Udayakumara Udagama – CA NO. 633/97 F -1997

In the case between Peya Korale Gedara Leelawathie (plaintiff) and Galwatte Gedara Nishantha Udayakumara (defendant), the court addressed whether a breach of promise of marriage, absent a written agreement as required by Section 19 of the Marriage Registration Ordinance, entitled the plaintiff to damages. The appellate court determined that, in the absence of written evidence of the promise as mandated by law and considering the defendant’s subsisting marriage, no enforceable cause for damages existed. The holding reaffirmed that damages for breach of promise to marry are recoverable only if the promise is evidenced in writing, as prescribed by the Ordinance and established in precedent such as Udalagama v. Boange. This ruling underscores the necessity of strict statutory compliance for en