Manol Fernado and Another v. Jayaratne, D.M., Minister of Agriculture and Lands and Others – sllr 2000 volume 1 page 112

In the case between Manel Fernando and Another (plaintiffs) and D.M. Jayaratne, Minister of Agriculture and Lands, and others (defendants), the court addressed the legality of a land acquisition executed under the Land Acquisition Act, focusing on whether the property was required for a public purpose and compliance with mandatory statutory procedures. It was held that the acquisition was unlawful, arbitrary, and unreasonable, with the process found to have been manipulated for improper motives rather than genuine public interest. The findings established that the required statutory notices failed to disclose the public purpose and did not conform to language requirements, thereby infringing the petitioners’ fundamental rights under Article 12 of the Constitution. The decision reaffirmed t