Mannayake v. Piyaseeli – sllr 2002 volume 2 page 057

In the case between the plaintiff-appellant (the spouse and heir of the deceased vendor) and the defendant-respondent (the substituted defendant and longstanding tenant), the court addressed whether section 22(7) of the Rent Act operates retrospectively, thereby barring an ejectment action initiated by an heir who acquired the premises by inheritance after long-term tenant occupation. It was held that the legislative intent and express wording of section 22(7) establish its retrospective application, so that the bar to ejectment applies in cases where ownership was acquired by purchase or inheritance after the tenant’s initial occupation. The interpretation of “specified date” was affirmed as including periods before the Rent Act’s operation. The District Court’s dismissal of the action wa