55. In this Law, unless the context otherwise requires- "Agricultural and Industrial Credit Corporation of Ceylon " means the Corporation established under the Agricultural and Industrial Credit Corporation Ordinance; " alienation " with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions means the alienation of State land under this Law; " Bank of Ceylon " means the Bank established under the Bank of Ceylon Ordinance; " citizen of Sri Lanka " means an individual who is a citizen of Sri Lanka under any law for the time being in force relating to citizenship; " court " means any Court of Justice constituted under the Courts Ordinance and includes a Rural Court: "disposition " with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions means any transaction of whatever nature affecting land or title thereto and includes any conveyance, devise, donation, exchange, lease, mortgage or transfer of land; "Government Agent" includes an Additional Government Agent, Assistant Government Agent, Additional Assistant Government Agent, District Land Officer and any officer authorized by the Government Agent in writing in respect of any particular matter or provision of this Law; "grant " unless the context otherwise requires means a grant of land from the Republic of Sri Lanka under this Law; "holder of a grant " means any person to whom a grant has been issued under this Law; " Land Commissioner " means the officer appointed under section 3 of the Land Development Ordinance and includes an Additional Land Commissioner, Deputy Land Commissioner and any other officer of his Department authorized by the Land Commissioner in writing in respect of any particular matter or provision under this Law; "peace officer " means a police officer and includes any Grama Sevaka appointed by the Government Agent in writing to perform police duties; "People's Bank " means the Bank established under the People's Bank Act, No. 29 of 1961; "permit" means a permit for the occupation of land issued under this Law or the Land Development Ordinance; "permit-holder " means any person to whom a permit has been issued under this Law or under the Land Development Ordinance; "plantation crops " means tea, rubber, coconut and includes any other crop which comes within the purview of the Ministry of Plantation Industries; " prescribed " means prescribed by this Law or by the regulations made thereunder; "registered society" shall have the same meaning as in the Co-operative Societies Law No. 5 of 1972; " Surveyor-General " means the Surveyor-General of Sri Lanka or any other officer deputed to act on his behalf for the purpose of this Law to the extent of which such officer is deputed " title " means right, title or interest; and "unit of subdivision" means the minimum extent of land below which, a land held under a permit or grant under this Law cannot lawfully be subdivided.
| 1. Title to land alienated on a grant or permit under this Law shall devolve on the surviving spouse of the deceased holder of the grant or permit-holder and failing such spouse on one only of the relatives of such holder of the grant or permit-holder in the order of priority in which they are respectively mentioned in the table below, the older being preferred to the younger where there are more relatives than one in any group. |
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| 2. Where in any group of relatives mentioned in the Table in Rule I there are two or more persons of the same age who are equally entitled and willing to succeed the Government Agent may nominate one of such persons to succeed to the land and such decision of the Government Agent shall be final and conclusive. |
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Sri Lanka Consolidated Acts