Perimbarajah v. Officer-In-Charge, Minor Complaints Section, Police Station, Wattala. – sllr 1994 volume 2 page 361

In the case between Perimbarajah (representing the interests of Sathasivam, a minor) and the Officer-in-Charge, Minor Complaints Section, Police Station, Wattala, the court addressed the legality of a Magistrate’s order placing the 13½‑year‑old Sathasivam in a Certified School for three years under the Children and Young Persons Ordinance. It was determined that the Magistrate failed to properly consider the petitioner’s capacity to provide adequate care, as mandated by statute. Reaffirming the requirement of inquiry into proper custody under the Children and Young Persons Ordinance and maintaining compliance with the Education Ordinance, the decision established that employment of a domestic servant under the age of fourteen is not inherently unlawful if the child’s welfare is preserved.