Maheepala D. Alfred Fernando vs Ranpatipura Dewage Sirisena – SC APPEAL 85/2013-2025

The court addressed whether the District Court’s order regarding the sale of estate lands constituted a final judgment or was interlocutory according to the application approach test, particularly with reference to Section 744 of the Civil Procedure Code. The holding dismissed the appeal, determining that the impugned order was merely interlocutory and not a final judgment appealable as of right. The decision reaffirmed that where a settlement has conclusively determined substantive rights, subsequent orders regarding property disposition do not amount to final judgments. This principle was applied by considering both English legal authorities and local precedent, with the impact being a strict adherence to distinguishing finality in estate litigation orders in line with the Civil Procedur