Piragalathan v. Shanmugam – sllr 2007 volume 1 page 320

In the case between the landlord (plaintiff–respondent) and the tenant (defendant–appellant), the court addressed the validity of the landlord’s notice of termination of tenancy under the Rent Act. It was determined that a six-month notice, rather than the statutorily required one-year notice under section 22(6) of the Act, invalidates the landlord’s action for ejectment. The court reaffirmed the principle that strict compliance with statutory notice periods is a condition precedent for instituting ejectment proceedings. Precedents such as Hilmy v De Alwis and S. Ratnam v S.M.K. Dheen were relied upon, highlighting that any defect in the notice is fatal and cannot be rectified by court orders. The decision emphasized the tenant’s statutory protection and clarified that judicial modificatio