Raymond Fernando v. Bank of Ceylon – sllr 2000 volume 1 page 012

In the case between Raymond Fernando (Appellant) and Bank of Ceylon (Respondent), the court addressed the issue of whether the termination of a hire purchase agreement was valid when only one week’s notice was given, contrary to the statutory requirement of two weeks’ notice under the Consumer Credit Act, No. 29 of 1982. It was held that termination effected without compliance with the statutory notice period was invalid, establishing that statutory provisions override conflicting contractual terms. The principle reaffirmed is that mandatory statutory requirements governing termination under the Consumer Credit Act cannot be circumvented by agreement. The decision relied upon a strict interpretation of section 18 of the Act, emphasizing that parties cannot contract out of legislative prote