Urban Development Authority vs 88th Developers(Pvt)Ltd – SC/APP/113/2021-2024

In the case between 88th Developers (Pvt) Ltd and others versus the Urban Development Authority of Sri Lanka and associated officials, the court addressed the legality of the Court of Appeal’s decision to quash a Quit Notice and the associated administrative actions undertaken by the Urban Development Authority under the State Lands (Recovery of Possession) Act. The court held that the appeal should be allowed, the Court of Appeal judgment dated 28.09.2020 should be set aside, and the validity of the Quit Notice should be restored. The principle reaffirmed is that pre-emptive administrative decisions forming the basis of the Quit Notice must stand when the Quit Notice itself is judicially reinstated. The decision relied on the sequence of administrative actions authorized under applicable