Category: Featured Artcles
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LankaLaw Launches Comprehensive Stamp Duty Calculator Covering Property, Land and Commercial Instruments
LankaLaw has launched its new Stamp Duty Calculator, a digital tool designed to simplify the calculation of stamp duty applicable to a wide range of property, land, legal and commercial instruments in Sri Lanka. The new calculator expands beyond conventional property-transfer calculations, providing users with a single digital interface covering property and land transactions as well as…
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National Environmental (Amendment) Act, No. 15 of 2026: New Pathways for a Green Future in Sri Lanka
The National Environmental (Amendment) Act, No. 15 of 2026, certified by Parliament on July 21, 2026, introduces a comprehensive set of amendments to the National Environmental Act, No. 47 of 1980. This new Act aims to provide a more robust legal framework for environmental management, protection, and conservation in Sri Lanka. It includes a range…
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Lanka Data Launches Comprehensive Intellectual Property (IP) Search Platform for Sri Lanka
New AI-powered database brings patents, industrial designs, and trademarks together in a single searchable platform Colombo, Sri Lanka – Lanka Data has announced the launch of a comprehensive Intellectual Property (IP) Search platform, providing centralized access to Sri Lanka’s patents, industrial designs, and trademark registration records. The platform aims to simplify how innovators, entrepreneurs, legal professionals, researchers, and…
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Landmark SC Ruling: Seagull Property Developers Ordered to Pay Rs. 10M Over Unlawful Parking Conversion
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has ordered Seagull Property Developers (Pvt) Ltd to pay Rs. 10 million in compensation to two apartment owners, Dr. K. Mahendrarajah and K. Balendra, for the unlawful conversion of parking spaces into commercial property. The decision, delivered on March 30, 2026, addresses significant violations of…
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New Tax Law in Sri Lanka Targets Life Insurance Schemes Used for Tax Evasion
Colombo, June 29, 2026 – Sri Lanka has moved to curb potential tax avoidance through life insurance schemes with the recent enactment of the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Act, No. 11 of 2026. A key provision, the newly inserted Section 52A, clarifies the taxability of proceeds from life insurance policies, specifically targeting arrangements designed to sidestep tax…
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Incorporation Acts (1957-2026)
An incorporation act is a formal law passed by a parliament to legally create a specific organization. This unique legislative mechanism transforms a private group of individuals into a singular, recognized corporate person with its own distinct legal identity. By bypassing the standard corporate registration route handled by a registrar of companies, this direct vote…
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Derivative Action Against NDB Raises Serious Questions Over Maintainability Before Commercial High Court
The derivative action filed against National Development Bank PLC (“NDB”), its Board of Directors and external auditors Ernst & Young has now evolved into a far broader controversy involving not only the underlying Rs. 13.2 billion fraud, but also the legitimacy, independence and maintainability of the legal proceedings themselves. In a corporate disclosure issued to the Colombo Stock Exchange…
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SUPREME COURT DRAWS A HARD LINE: Bunker Fuel is Not an Export – Tax Break Denied
COLOMBO: In a landmark and closely watched ruling, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has decisively settled a long- standing dispute: the supply of bunker fuel to foreign- flagged vessels within Sri Lankan territorial waters is not an export. Delivering the majority judgment, Justice A.H.M.D. Nawaz, with Justice Shiran Gooneratne concurring, held unequivocally that such transactions amount…
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Court of Appeal Rules in Favour of Central Bank, Sets Aside Order of the RTI Commission on EPF Transactions
The Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, setting aside a decision of the Right to Information (RTI) Commission that had directed the disclosure of detailed transaction level information relating to the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF). The case arose from an RTI request submitted by Verité Research (Pvt)…
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Lawyers’ on Trial
Sri Lanka’s lawyers decided to strike as a collective protest against the brutal daylight killing of an Attorney-at-Law and his wife, which has heightened fears about the safety of legal professionals and the wider breakdown of public security. The strike reflects deep concern that attorneys-at-law face an existential threat in carrying out their duties, frustration…
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Nations Trust Bank (NTB) Accused of Potential Double Recovery in HSBC Loan Acquisition
Concerns are mounting over the legal rights of thousands of HSBC Sri Lanka customers particularly those classified as bad or non-performing borrowers following the Central Bank’s recent approval for Nations Trust Bank (NTB) to acquire HSBC’s retail banking business in Sri Lanka. Legal experts warn that the transfer raises serious questions about contractual validity, borrower…
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LankaLaw Reaches 100,000 Visitors as It Builds Sri Lanka’s Largest AI powered Free Legal Knowledge Platform
Colombo, Sri Lanka – October 6, 2025. Since its launch in 2024, LankaLaw.net has crossed the milestone of 100,000 visitors and has signed up over 8,000 users, cementing its place as Sri Lanka’s top legal tech platforms. What sets LankaLaw apart is not just traffic, but its mission: to offer comprehensive and freely accessible legal content and AI support, removing common…
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Frustration of contract due to supervening impossibility
The Supreme Court judgment in SC Appeal No. 08/2017 is a significant case in Sri Lankan contract law dealing with frustration of contract due to supervening impossibility, particularly in the context of a lease agreement disrupted by the 2004 tsunami. 🔍 Case Summary? Parties:? Plaintiff-Respondent-Appellants: Pallocci Donatella & Palermi Luca (Italian nationals).? Defendant-Appellant-Respondent: Yamuna Kanthi…
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Sri Lanka Telecom PLC v. Right to Information Commission and C.J. Wijayawardhana
Court of Appeal Case No. CA/RTI/0002/2023Judgment delivered on 03.07.2025Presiding: Dr. Sumudu Premachandra J. and R. Gurusinghe J Background: This appeal arose from a decision by the Right to Information Commission (RTIC) directing Sri Lanka Telecom PLC (SLT)—a public authority and a publicly listed company—to disclose a breakdown of legal fees it incurred in relation to…
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Supreme Court Rules Against Herbal Holiday Resorts in Landmark VAT Exemption Case
Case Analysis Report: Herbal Holiday Resorts (Pvt) Ltd. v. Commissioner General of Inland RevenueSC Appeal No. SC/APPEAL/6/2022 | Decided on: 03 June 2024 1. Background: Herbal Holiday Resorts (Pvt) Ltd., operating under the name “Hotel Paradise Island” in Bentota, claimed Value Added Tax (VAT) exemption under paragraph (b)(xii) of Part II of the First Schedule…