Ahamed Lebbe Uthumalebbe vs Hon. Harin Fernando, Minister of Tourism and Lands Ministry of Lands – CA/WRT/362/2022-2024

In the case between Ahamed Lebbe Uthumalebbe and various state and land officials (notably including the 7th Respondent, one of the Plaintiff’s sons), the Court addressed the legality of converting an annual land permit into a long-term lease and whether proper consent and procedures were observed in granting such lease to the 7th Respondent. It was determined that the petitioner did not consent to the transfer, and that the grant of the lease was affected by erroneous and irrelevant considerations—including the petitioner’s age—contrary to established legal principles governing administrative discretion. The principle reaffirmed was that administrative bodies must act within the scope of lawful authority, free from irrelevant and unreasonable considerations, as articulated under the Wedne