Banda vs Budharakketa Unnanse – clr volume 3 page 079

In the case between the Trustee of the Dambulla Vihara and certain individuals alleged to have removed offerings from the temple, the court addressed the qualification requirements for trusteeship under the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance. The key issue concerned whether a trustee, once elected for meeting the one-year pre-election residence requirement in a district, must maintain continuous residence after election, especially when district boundaries change. The court held that the requisite qualification is occupancy of a house within the district for one year immediately preceding election, and that the trustee’s status is not affected by subsequent changes in residence or district boundaries. The principle reaffirmed is that statutory trustee qualifications are fixed at the time of