Sirisena v. Nandawathie – sllr 1993 volume 2 page 125

The case between Sirisena (plaintiff-respondent) and Nandawathie (defendant-appellant) addressed the issue of the validity of a lease conferring tenant cultivator status on the defendant during the pendency of a partition action, in light of statutory restrictions under the Agricultural Lands Law and the Partition Act. It was determined that a lease granted in breach of Section 67 of the Partition Act is void and cannot confer rights protected by Section 3(2) of the Agricultural Lands Law. The decision reaffirmed that statutory prohibitions on alienation during partition proceedings override any purported creation of tenancy, thereby precluding tenant cultivator status and related protections. The Court relied on the relevant statutes, holding that the defendant was not entitled to protect