C.C. Fernando v. Seneviratne – sllr 2003 volume 2 page 110

The case between C.C. Fernando (respondent/plaintiff) and Seneviratne (appellant/defendant) addressed the applicability of the Rent Act, No. 7 of 1972, focusing on whether the premises at the center of the dispute constituted “excepted premises.” It was held that prima facie evidence from the Rent Board’s assessment regarding authorized rent—uncontested by the defendant—justified the finding that the premises were excepted from the Rent Act’s protections. The principle was reaffirmed that a party’s failure to challenge an administrative determination may result in estoppel, preventing subsequent contestation of those findings. Reliance was placed on the evidentiary effect of administrative decisions and the implications of res judicata and estoppel, emphasizing that when important assessme