Rajapaksha Sumanawathi and Rajapaksha Pedige Kamalawathie vs The Divisional Secretary – CA 291/2009-2013

In the case between Rajapaksha Sumanawathi, Rajapaksha Pedige Kamalawathie (Petitioners) and The Divisional Secretary, Wariyapola, with others (Respondents), the court addressed whether beneficiaries named in a will, who did not comply with statutory registration timelines under the Land Development Ordinance, could obtain writs of certiorari and mandamus compelling the grant of title to State land. The court held that compliance with Section 64 of the Land Development Ordinance, specifically the registration of a will within three months of the death of the permit holder, is mandatory and noncompliance is fatal to the claim, precluding the conferral of State land through unregistered wills. This determination reaffirmed the principle that statutory formalities for State land are strictly