Nishantha and 3 Others vs. State – sllr 2014 volume 1 page 105

In the case of Nishantha and 3 Others vs. State, the court addressed whether the term “machinery and equipment” under the Mines and Minerals Act encompasses vehicles used to transport sand, and whether such vehicles may be lawfully forfeited following conviction for transporting sand without a permit. It was determined that the statutory language must be interpreted according to the clear intent of the Legislature, which, upon analysis of relevant statutes, dictionary definitions, and related enactments, did not indicate that “vehicles” were meant to be included under the forfeiture provisions for “machinery and equipment.” Thus, the earlier order of confiscation of the vehicle used was set aside, reaffirming the principle that criminal statutes, particularly those with confiscatory conseq