Herath v. Peter – sllr 1989 volume 2 page 325

In the case between the Plaintiff-Appellant (seeking declaration of title and ejectment from a paddy field) and the 1st Defendant (claiming status as tenant-cultivator), the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka addressed whether an entry in the Agricultural Register serves as conclusive or merely prima facie evidence of tenant-cultivator status, and whether the District Court retains jurisdiction to determine such status where the parties dispute their respective roles. The Supreme Court determined that entries in the Agricultural Register constitute prima facie but not conclusive evidence and affirmed that District Court jurisdiction persists in the presence of genuine disputes over status, except where the parties expressly agree to their roles for the purpose of invoking the exclusive jurisdictio