Mrs. K. Ranjani Rajapathirana vs J. W. Lee – CA 94/96 F -2011

In the case between Mrs. K. Ranjani Rajapathirana (Plaintiff Appellant) and the estate of J. W. Lee (Chinese Union Hotel), represented by Mrs. Babynona Rajapaksha (Substituted Defendant Respondent), the court addressed the legal issue of whether premises operated as the “Chinese Union Hotel” at No. 2 Mount Pleasant, Bandarawela, constituted “business premises” exempt from the Rent Act No. 7 of 1972, or “residential premises” subject to its protections. It was held that the premises were primarily utilized for business purposes, including hotel, restaurant, textile, and catering operations, and thus qualified as “business premises” excepted from the Rent Act’s application under Regulation 3 of its schedule. The decision reaffirmed the principle that the classification of premises under the