Piyasena v. Wijesinghe and Others – sllr 2002 volume 2 page 242

In the dispute between the petitioner (eldest son of the late Mrs. B. V. Ukku Bandi) and Wijesinghe & Others (including the Commissioner of Lands as the 3rd respondent and the nominated successor as the 4th respondent), the court addressed the legal consequences arising from the failure of the original permit holder to re-nominate a successor after grants of land were issued under the Land Development Ordinance. It was held that once a grant is issued and the permit holder’s status is elevated to that of an owner, any prior nomination of a successor made during the period of the permit is converted into a nomination by the owner. As a result, the absence of a renewed nomination post-grant does not invalidate the prior nomination, and the application for a Writ of Certiorari was dismissed,