Jayasinghe v. Kiribindu and Others – sllr 1997 volume 2 page 001

In the case between Kiribindu (daughter of Ukkuwa, plaintiff-respondent) and the heirs of Rana (including the 1st defendant–appellant and other children of Rana, defendants), the court considered whether a daughter who entered into a diga marriage under Kandyan law forfeited her right to inherit her father’s estate, notwithstanding her continued residence at her father’s house (mulgedera) after marriage. The primary holding was that the inheritance rights of a daughter married in diga were forfeited upon such marriage, and continued residence at the parental home did not alter this legal effect. The court reaffirmed the principle that the character of marriage, as classified at registration under section 9(1) of the Kandyan Law Declaration and Amendment Ordinance No. 39 of 1939, remains de