Ranasinghe Bandara vs Director, District Land Reform Commission and Others – sllr 2019 volume 3 page 393

The case between Ranasinghe Bandara (Plaintiff) and the Director, District Land Reform Commission and others (Defendants) addressed the issue of whether legitimate expectation could arise from representations made by a public officer of the Land Reform Commission lacking statutory authority to grant leases. It was determined that no enforceable legitimate expectation was established, as the representations were ultra vires and not binding on the Commission. The decision reaffirmed the principle that representations by unauthorized public officials, even if relied upon, cannot override statutory limitations or create legally enforceable expectations in the absence of actual authority. Pertinent statutory provisions and case law on legitimate expectation, ultra vires, and the separation of p