Hettiarachchi vs Tharangani Hettiarachchi and Others – sllr 2004 volume 3 page 116

In the case between the Petitioner-Appellant (asserting status as the legal wife of the deceased and seeking letters of administration) and the Intervenient-Petitioner-Respondent (challenging the marital status and inheritance claims of the Petitioner-Appellant), the court addressed the validity of the petitioner-appellant’s marriage and entitlement to administrative rights over the deceased’s estate. It was determined that the existence of a prior, undissolved marriage invalidated the petitioner-appellant’s subsequent marriage to the deceased, pursuant to section 79(1) of the Evidence Ordinance and section 18 of the General Marriages Ordinance. Examination of marriage certificates, oral testimony, and documentary evidence further established discrepancies in the claim regarding the 1st re