A.D. Hemachandra Perera vs Lal Sumanasena, Director, District Land Reform Commission – SC APPEAL 72/2014-2024

In the case between A.D. Hemachandra Perera (Plaintiff-Appellant) and officials of the Land Reform Commission including Lal Sumanasena, Nimal G. Punchihewa, the Land Reform Commission, and Rev. Meepanawe Sugathadhamma Thero (Respondents), the court addressed whether the issuance of a notice to quit under Section 3 of the State Lands (Recovery of Possession) Act No. 7 of 1979 was arbitrary and constituted a misuse of statutory process, and whether the plaintiff’s documentary evidence established legitimate expectations for the alienation of the land. It was held that the Court of Appeal erred by dismissing the petitioner’s application based solely on a single document, without considering the complete evidentiary record presented. The legal principle reaffirmed is that courts must consider