051-SLLR-SLLR-1999-V-3-KALU-BANDA-v.-UPALI.pdf

396Sri Lanka Law Reports[19d9] 3 Sri L.R.
Further, it is to be observed that the lease instrument or theinstrument of disposition given to the petitioner (P2) itself refers tosection 2 of the Crown/State Lands Ordinance and the regulationsmade thereunder, which would mean that the lease in question hadbeen given to the petitioner in terms of section 2 of the said Ordinance.Therefore, since section 6 of the State Lands Ordinance has noapplication in this case, it would be section 2 of the said Ordinancethat would apply. In the circumstances the submission made bylearned counsel for the petitioner based on the applicability of section6 of the State Lands Ordinance to the lease permit given to thepetitioner, has to fail.
Learned counsel for the petitioner formulated another argument onthe basis that if the lease given to the petitioner was a permit issuedunder the State Lands Ordinance, the 2nd respondent should havetaken steps in terms of section 17 (1) of the said Ordinance to cancelthe lease permit or the instrument of disposition following theprocedure provided in sections 106 to 128 of the Land DevelopmentOrdinance. Learned counsel's contention was that there was arequirement that the petitioner should have been given an opportunityto show cause before such a cancellation of his permit. Section 17(1)of the State Lands Ordinance provides as follows:
Where a Government Agent is of opinion that the grantee ofany permit or licence has failed to observe any condition attachedto any such permit or licence, he may cancel such permit or licence,and eject the grantee in accordance with the procedure prescribedin sections 106 to 128 of the Land Development Ordinance whichshall apply accordingly as though the grantee of a permit or licenceunder this Ordinance were a permit-holder under that Ordinanceand as though the land which is the subject-matter of a permitor licence under this Ordinance were land alienated by a permitissued under that Ordinance:
Provided that
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Therefore, it would appear according to the section referred toabove that before a cancellation of a permit or a licence due to thefailure of a party to observe any condition attached to such permitor licence, a procedure has been prescribed or provided in terms ofsections 106 to 128 of the Land Development Ordinance. It shouldalso be noted that the effect of a cancellation of a lease permit ora licence involves the cancellation of an instrument of disposition. Theinstrument of disposition has been interpreted in section 110 of theState Lands Ordinance to include a grant, lease, permit or licencerelating to State land.
It is also necessary to take note of the following provisions of theLand Development Ordinance. Section 106 (2) of the Ordinanceprovides as follows:
Where a permit-holder fails to comply with the requirements ofa notice issued under subsection (1), or where a permit-holdercontravenes a condition of the permit on a second or subsequentoccasion, the Government Agent may issue a notice in theprescribed form intimating to the permit-holder that the permitwill be cancelled unless sufficient cause to the contrary is shownto the Government Agent on a date and at a time and placespecified in the notice.
Section 110 (1) of the Ordinance makes provision for the Gov-ernment Agent if he is satisfied after inquiry that there has been abreach of any of the conditions of the permit, to make an ordercancelling the permit. Section 113 of the Ordinance makes provisionfor a permit-holder aggrieved by an order made by the GovernmentAgent under section 110 to appeal to the Land Commissioner. TheChapter IX of the Land Development Ordinance makes provision forthe procedure to be followed in cases of ejectment.
An examination of the provisions referred to above would makeit clear that before a cancellation of a lease permit or an instrumentof disposition, a particular procedure has been clearly laid down in
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sections 106-128 of the Land Development Ordinance. Therefore, interms of section 106 (2) of the Land Development Ordinance the 2ndrespondent in this case was required by law to issue a notice to thepetitioner intimating to him that his lease permit would be cancelledunless sufficient cause to the contrary was shown. However, the 2ndrespondent has failed to take such action in conformity with theprocedure so provided in the present case. It may also be noted thatonce a decision is made by the 2nd respondent to cancel a leasepermit in terms of section 110 (1) of the Land Development Ordinance,provision has been made to grant an appeal from such an order tothe 3rd respondent. The manner in which the 2nd respondent decidedto cancel the lease permit granted to the petitioner in this case hasdenied the petitioner his right of appeal to the 3rd respondent.
The learned Senior State Counsel for the respondents sought toargue that there is no requirement to follow the procedure laid downin sections 106-128 of the Land Development Ordinance. The basisof the learned counsel's argument was that the petitioner had violatedthe condition number 4 of the lease permit (P2) and in addition theland in question is required for a public purpose and therefore in termsof clause number 15 of the lease permit (P2) the petitioner is requiredto hand over the land to the State. In these circumstances it wassubmitted that there was no necessity to give an opportunity to thepetitioner to show cause against the cancellation of the lease permit.Therefore, learned counsel contended that the conduct of the 2ndrespondent in cancelling the lease permit was not arbitrary orunreasonable. It was further submitted that there was no politicalvictimization of the petitioner in taking such a decision to cancelthe lease and take back the land in question by the State.
It is to be remarked here, that after the grant of the lease permitto the petitioner, he had submitted the plan dated 06.08.1992 (P5)along with his letter dated 03.01.1993 (P6) seeking approval for thebuilding to be constructed. In the objections filed by the 2nd respondentin paragraph 7 of his affidavit, he has admitted the receipt of P5 whichis the plan dated 06.08.1992. However, he denies the receipt of the
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petitioner's letter dated 03.01.1993 (P6). If this position taken up bythe 2nd respondent is accepted, it is evident that the petitioner hadsubmitted the plan (P5) to the 2nd respondent. Why the 2nd respond-ent failed to take any action on the plan (P5) received by him hasnot been explained. Even assuming that the 2nd respondent did notreceive the petitioner's letter (P6) the failure to take action on theplan (P5) was certainly a lapse on the part of the 2nd respondent.Further, it would appear from the facts of this case that no actionhas been taken by the 2nd and 3rd respondents to inform the petitionerabout the delay in complying with the condition number 4 of P2, untilit was decided by the 2nd respondent to cancel the lease permit on19.01.1998 (P8) without even giving a hearing to the petitioner.
I am unable to subscribe to the view, that a lease permit grantedby the President of the Republic of Sri Lanka, for a period of 30 yearscould be cancelled for whatever reason, without giving an opportunityto the holder of such permit to show cause. As referred to abovethe petitioner in this case is in a position to show that, at least hehad submitted a plan to the 2nd respondent (which is admitted bythe 2nd respondent in his affidavit paragraph 7) for consideration andapproval. Therefore, where provision is made by law in regard to theprocedure to be followed when cancelling a lease permit granted toa person, there is no reason why such procedure should be ignoredor overlooked. Such conduct would be illegal and arbitrary and offendthe fair administrative procedure expected from public authorities.
On the other hand, even if there was no provision made for aparty to be heard before his lease permit is cancelled, principles ofnatural justice will supply the omission of the legislature. The reasonbeing that the court will not readily accept the position that theParliament intended an administrative authority to exercise a discretionvested in it by statute, in such a manner so as to offend the principlesof natural justice. Further, it is worth referring here to the words ofByles, J. in the case of Cooper v. Wandsworth Board of Works01 wherehe stated that "… a long course of decisions, beginning withDr. Bentley's case, and ending with some very recent cases, establish
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that, although there are no positive words in a statute requiring thatthe party shall be heard, yet the justice of the common law will supplythe omission of the legislature." As Wade points out in his bookAdministrative Law 5th edition page 413: "Procedure is not a matterof secondary importance. As governmental powers continually growmore drastic, it is only by procedural fairness that they are renderedtolerable".
In this case, however, law has very clearly made provision thata hearing should be given to a party before a lease permit is cancelled.The decision taken by the 2nd respondent to cancel the lease permitgranted to the petitioner without giving the petitioner an opportunityto show cause is arbitrary, unreasonable and in violation of theprinciples of natural justice. Therefore, the said decision of the 2ndrespondent should be quashed. In these circumstances, it isunnecessary to consider the other points raised by counsel for thepetitioner.
Accordingly, the two letters dated 02.02.1998 and 19.01.1998 markedP7 and P8 are hereby quashed. The 2nd respondent is directed tomake an appropriate order according to law, after providing thepetitioner an opportunity to be heard.
Application allowed.