Attorney General v. Ratnayake and Another – sllr 2003 volume 3 page 105

In the case between Attorney-General v. Ratnayake and Another, the court addressed whether conditional discharges of accused persons—arising from the absence of a Certificate of Non-settlement from the Mediation Board—amounted to acquittal under section 188(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code. It was held that such conditional discharges did not constitute an acquittal as required by law, and the Magistrate’s actions in both instances were not final disposals of the case. The principle reaffirmed the necessity of strict adherence to procedural requirements for discharge and acquittal in criminal proceedings. The decision relied on statutory interpretation of section 188(3), emphasizing that discharge orders made without compliance with mandated document tendering do not terminate criminal li