Wilfred Raffa vs A.R.A. Naeem – CA PHC/65/2006-2017

In the case between Wilfred Raffa (tenant cultivator) and A.R.A. Naeem (landlord), along with associated public officials and Udaya Kumara Abeysinghe (purchaser), the court addressed the legality of a certificate issued under the Agrarian Services Act permitting the landlord to sell paddy land to an outsider after the tenant cultivator failed to purchase it within the stipulated period. The central legal issues pertained to whether the certificate was ultra vires or void under the new Agrarian Development Act No. 46 of 2000 and whether the application for judicial review was time-barred due to undue delay. It was held that the issuance of the certificate was authorized under transitional provisions, and the proceedings were not rendered null due to the operation of the new Act. The applica