Talawatugoda Siri Ratna Thero and Another v. Athukorale – sllr 1997 volume 2 page 260

In the case between Talawatugoda Siri Ratna Thero (and another) and Athukorale, the court addressed whether an indenture of lease stipulating a fixed, advance payment of rent constitutes a valid contract of letting and hiring under the Agrarian Services Act, No. 58 of 1979. It was held that a fixed advance rent does not invalidate such a contract, reaffirming that certainty and determination of rent are sufficient to establish the legal requirements for letting and hiring. This decision relied on the provisions of the Agrarian Services Act and incorporated Roman-Dutch Law principles, underscoring that excessive or insufficient rents may be adjusted under statutory provisions and that tenant cultivator protections remain operative. The case clarified the interface between statutory and comm