Munasinghe vs. Chairman and Members of Debt Conciliation Board and Another – sllr 2020 volume 3 page 073

In Munasinghe v. Chairman and Members of the Debt Conciliation Board and another, the court addressed the applicability of Section 19A(1A) of the Debt Conciliation (Amendment) Act No. 29 of 1999 to debts secured by transfers executed prior to 17th September 1999. It was held that the amended provision does not operate retrospectively and is limited to transfers executed after the certification date of the amendment. The court reaffirmed the principle that retrospective operation of statutes affecting substantive rights is not presumed unless clearly stated by the legislature. Reliance was placed on statutory interpretation principles and case law emphasizing that provisos must be construed contextually and cannot independently alter the effect of the main provision absent explicit language