Ayiduroos Abdul Rahim v. Attorney-General – CA PHC APN 187/2010-2015

In the case between Ayiduroos Abdul Rahim and others (Appellants) and the Honourable Attorney-General’s Department (Complainant), the court addressed the legality of imposing both a term of imprisonment and a fine for violations under the Emergency (Restricted use of Outboard Motors) Regulations No. 8 of 2006, particularly in light of inconsistencies between the Sinhala and English texts of Regulation No. 6. It was held that only one form of punishment—either imprisonment or a fine—may be lawfully imposed, with the authoritative Sinhala version prevailing in case of contradiction. The court set aside the Court of Appeal’s order, including the imposed fine, and affirmed the imprisonment sentence, contingent on verification of its execution. This decision reaffirmed the principle that where