Wasala Herat Mudiyanselage Manel Kapukotuwa vs. Rev. Yogaraj Steven – CA PHC APN 0081/21-2024

In the case between Wasala Herat Mudiyanselage Manel Kapukotuwa (Petitioner) and Rev. Yogaraj Steven with the Officer-in-Charge of Chilaw Police Station and the Hon. Attorney General (Respondents), the court addressed the issue of whether noise emission from a Church constituted a public nuisance under section 98 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act and the power of a Magistrate to issue conditional orders regulating noise pollution from religious premises. It was held that religious institutions are not exempt from public nuisance provisions when their activities result in measurable harm to the community. The holding reaffirmed that the statutory framework under the Code of Criminal Procedure Act and Central Environmental Authority Act applies irrespective of the religious character of