Kalahe Palliya Guruge Laksri Kumara Dias Gunasekara vs. Harin Fernando, Minister of Tourism and Lands – SC SPL LA 61/2023-2024

In the case between Kalahe Palliya Guruge Laksri Kumara Dias Gunasekara (Petitioner) and Harin Fernando (Minister of Tourism and Lands), Shantha Weerasinghe, Chathuranga Gunasekara, Ranjith Yapa, and the Attorney General (Respondents), the court addressed the issue of whether the Court of Appeal erred by prematurely concluding at the support stage that the land claimed by the Petitioner was not part of the State-acquired land, and whether the finding of laches was determined without proper evaluation of when the requirement for a divesting order arose. The court held that the Court of Appeal’s order relied on insufficient inquiry, both regarding the identity of the land and the application of laches, and that these issues warranted detailed factual examination and procedural fairness. The