Sinhala Pedige Shelten Marasinghe v. Edirisinghe Pedige Seelawathie et al. – CA 1049/97 F -1997

In the case between Edirisinghe Pedige Seelawathie (Plaintiff-Respondent) and Sinhala Pedige Shelten Marasinghe (1st Defendant-Appellant), the court addressed the issue of entitlement to inheritance of a share of land following the death of Leelawathie. It was determined that the Plaintiff’s husband, as the only son of Leelawathie, was entitled to inherit her share of the land, while the 1st Defendant did not establish title either through inheritance or by prescription. The principle reaffirmed is that the party alleging entitlement must establish a direct line of inheritance or meet the criteria for prescription under the law. This decision relied on statutory and evidential standards governing inheritance and adverse possession, emphasizing that claims of title by inheritance or prescri