Gunawardane Liyanage Sirisena vs. K. G. Piyadasa (deceased) and Naamulla Arachchige Premawathie – SC APPEAL NO. : 117/2019-2023

In the case between Gunawardane Liyanage Sirisena and Naamulla Arachchige Premawathie (with the estate of K. G. Piyadasa substituted as respondent), the court addressed the issue of whether K. G. Piyadasa (represented by the appellant) was a tenant cultivator liable for rent payment and whether evidentiary standards were correctly applied by the Agrarian Tribunal. It was held that the respondent established ownership and proved the tenancy relationship by a preponderance of evidence, not requiring the higher criminal standard of proof. This reaffirmed that civil disputes before agrarian authorities must be determined by the civil standard of proof on the balance of probabilities. The decision relied on established authority and emphasized the appropriate burden for agrarian disputes, uphol