Bandattara Jananada Maha Thero v. Devinuwara Siri Sunanda Thero – sllr 1988 volume 2 page 061

In BANDATTARA JANANADA MAHA THERO v. DEVINUWARA SIRI SUNANDA THERO, the issue concerned the validity of the appointment of Jambuwatte Piyaratne as Viharadhipathi under the sisyanu sisya paramparawa rule, the legitimacy of the chain of succession, and whether the plaintiff’s conduct constituted estoppel or abandonment of his claim. It was held that the appointment of Piyaratne, as well as the subsequent appointments in the chain including that of the defendant, were lawful and conformed to the required succession rule. The findings established that the plaintiff’s prior conduct resulted in estoppel and the abandonment of his claim. The appeal was dismissed, reaffirming the principle that incumbency must pass in accordance with the recognized pupil-preceptor succession, and that acts inconsi