Sambasivam Rajeswary and Sambasivam Niranjan vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA PHC/APN 0011/20-2023

In the case between Sambasivam Rajeswary and Sambasivam Niranjan (petitioners/accused) and the Hon. Attorney General and Officer-In-Charge, Police Station, Mullaitivu (respondents), the court addressed whether a Magistrate was statutorily empowered to impose a compensation order exceeding Rs. 100,000 under section 17 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, particularly in light of an agreed settlement and provisions of the Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Act No.4 of 2015. It was determined that the compensation order of Rs. 950,000, though exceeding the specified limit under section 17, was appropriately imposed due to the factual context of a settlement. The court reaffirmed that the legal framework allows such compensation orders when supported by agreement and