Rajapaksa Watte Vidanalage Baba Nona vs H. M. Siriwardana – CA NO. 1279/2000-2014

The case between Rajapaksa Watte Vidanalage Baba Nona (“Gangasiri”) (Plaintiff/Respondent) and H. M. Siriwardana (Defendant/Appellant) addressed the issue of entitlement to a declaration of title to the land described in the plaint. It was held that the Plaintiff was entitled to such declaration, reaffirming the principle that title must be supported by credible and unchallenged documentary evidence, and the burden of proof in challenging an established declaration of title lies with the Appellant. This decision relied on the evaluation of evidence, particularly the Plaintiff’s unchallenged title deeds (P1 and P2), emphasizing that unsubstantiated allegations and lack of evidence by the Appellant cannot replace the burden to displace a lower court’s findings based on proper proof.

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