Don Piyasena Karunaratne and others vs Anuradhapura Municipal Council – SC FR APPLICATION NO. 356/2014-2022

In the case between Don Piyasena Karunaratne, Thamara Gunatunge, and Magilin Nona Hapangama (Petitioners) and the Anuradhapura Municipal Council, its Mayor, and Municipal Commissioner (Respondents), the Court addressed whether former municipal employees, as tenants, could claim entitlement to the transfer of absolute ownership of houses under the Local Authorities Housing Acts. It was held that mere occupation under rent agreements and reliance on a ministerial directive did not confer such entitlement, as the statutory criteria for “low-cost houses” were not met and the properties constituted staff quarters. The ruling reaffirmed the principle that statutory provisions cannot be circumvented to create legitimate expectations where the legal requirements of the transfer scheme, particularl