Jayaweera Mudiyanselage Chandrika Priyadharshani vs. Jessie Augustine Bandara – CA PHC 92/2018-2023

In the case between Jayaweera Mudiyanselage Chandrika Priyadharshani, Competent Authority of the Plantation Management Monitoring Division, Ministry of Plantation Industries (Appellant) and Jessie Augustine Bandara (Respondent), the central issue concerned whether the deed submitted by the Respondent constituted a valid written authority under Section 5 of the State Lands (Recovery of Possession) Act No.7 of 1979. The court determined that the Magistrate’s function was confined to verifying the existence of a valid permit or written authority, not the broader investigation of the chain of title or legitimacy of underlying land grants. The findings established that the deed relied upon by the Respondent had been improperly issued by the Land Reform Commission, which lacked authority to conf