Basnayake Mudiyanselage Ranasinghe Bandara vs Warusa Hennedige Gamini De Silva – CA RII/04/2020-2023

Brief
In the dispute between Warusa Hennedige Gamini De Silva and Basnayake Mudiyanselage Ranasinghe Bandara, the court examined whether the defendant qualified as a statutory tenant entitled to protection under the Rent Act No. 07 of 1972, and whether the lower courts’ judgments, which addressed the alleged unauthorized status of the premises and the non-production of critical material evidence, should be set aside by means of restitutio in integrum. The case arose from an ejectment action and subsequent debate over tenancy status, particularly concerning building approvals and documentary irregularities. The District Court and Provincial Civil Appellate Court had previously delivered rulings against the defendant based on unauthorized occupation; however, new evidence was presented sugge