Iddagoda Hewage Somasiri vs Kalanchige Chandralatha – SC/HC/CA/LA/NO 87/2020-2025

In the case between Kalanchige Chandralatha (Plaintiff/Appellant, as successor to W.G. Rankiri under an LDO permit) and Iddagoda Hewage Somasiri, Nalagamage Sumanawathie, and E. G. Premadasa (Defendants/Respondents), the court addressed whether the Civil Appellate High Court erred in holding that the Respondents’ title was established at trial, and examined the rights derived from the Land Development Ordinance (LDO), specifically concerning the limitations imposed on declarations of ownership over state land by LDO permit holders. The findings established that although the Plaintiff could maintain an eviction action against the Defendants, entitlement to a declaration of ownership of the land was not conferred by the LDO permit. The principle reaffirmed is that an LDO permit enables actio