Pathana Kankanamlage Kumarasiri vs Malcolm Chandrasiri Bandara – CA PHC/122/2006-2018

In the case between Pathana Kankanamlage Kumarasiri (Respondent‐Petitioner‐Appellant) and Malcolm Chandrasiri Bandara (Applicant‐Respondent‐Respondent, Additional Director, Plantations Monitoring Division, Ministry of Plantations) and others, the court addressed the issue of whether an eviction order from state land, under the State Lands (Recovery of Possession) Act, was valid when the appellant failed to establish lawful authority for occupation. It was determined that possession without a valid State permit or written authority cannot be sustained, and thus statutory eviction processes under the Act are to be upheld. Reliance was placed on section 9 of the State Lands (Recovery of Possession) Act and the precedent Muhandiram v. Chairman, Janatha Estate Development Board, affirming the p