M.A. Kiribanda vs I.M. Ariyaratne – CA 1006/96 F -2011

The case between M.A. Kiribanda (Plaintiff-Appellant) and I.M. Ariyaratne, Grama Niladhari (1st Defendant-Respondent), and the Attorney General (2nd Defendant-Respondent), addressed the issue of whether the Attorney General was properly joined as a party in a civil suit seeking damages for alleged property damage. It was determined that the Attorney General was improperly joined, as no relief was sought against that party and no cause of action or factual basis was pleaded linking the Attorney General to the alleged incident. The decision reaffirmed the principle that parties can only be joined if a right to relief is alleged to exist against each, in accordance with Sections 14 and 18(1) of the Civil Procedure Code. The court, relying on statutory provisions and relevant precedent, clarif