Attapattu Ralalage Neela Priyadarshani Attapattu “Dimuthu” vs. The Officer in Charge Financial and Commercial Crimes Investigations Unit-3, et al – CA WRIT/328/2022-2022

In the case between Attapattu Ralalage Neela Priyadarshani (“Dimuthu”) and the respondents, including the Assistant Superintendent of Police and officials of the Coconut Cultivation Board, the court addressed whether funds in the Coconut Cultivation Board’s Provident Fund—comprising both public (employer) and private (employee) contributions—constitute “public property” under the Offences Against Public Property Act No.12 of 1982. It was determined that such funds, held by a statutory board as trustee, fall within the statutory and legal definition of public property. Reference was made to principles of trust law, statutory definitions, and legislative intent. The holding established that the certificate certifying the fund as public property is valid, thereby dismissing the petitioner’s a