Pattiyawala Seevali Thero vs. Kanumuldeniye Upali Thero – sllr 2019 volume 1 page 211

In the case between Nakulugamuwe Sumanathissa Thero (Plaintiff, originally Pattiyawala Seevali Thero) and Kanumuldeniye Upali Thero (Defendant), the court addressed the issue of rightful incumbency to the offices of Viharadhipathi of Gandara Purana Vihara and Bomure Vihara, focusing on the legal sufficiency of the plaintiff’s claim under the rules of pupillary succession in Buddhist Ecclesiastical law. It was held that the plaintiff had properly succeeded to the office, as the deed executed by the prior incumbent manifested a clear intent to abandon rights over Bomure Vihara in favor of the Gandara Purana Vihara’s incumbent. The lineage of succession and the absence of contest from more senior pupils were critical in affirming the claim, emphasizing the principle that abandonment by an inc