Jen Seling v. Lakamuwage Lalitha Padmini – CA PHC 258/2017-2023

In the case between Jen Seling of Panda Noodles Manufacturing Company (Petitioner-Petitioner-Appellant) and Lakamuwage Lalitha Padmini (Respondent-Respondent-Respondent), the court addressed the issue of whether the Petitioner had a legal right, including by prescription, to use a disputed access road leading to its business premises in the Nalanda Ellawela Industrial Zone. It was held that no such legal right existed for the Petitioner because evidence, particularly a letter from the Regional Director of Industries, established the roadway as state property and confirmed that prescriptive rights could not be claimed. The decision reaffirmed the principle that state property cannot be acquired by prescription, emphasizing the authority of Section 69(1) of the Primary Court Procedure Act an