Ranatunga Dissanayakelage Rohini Ariyasena vs. Hon. Attorney General – CA PHC APN 45/24-2024

In the case between the petitioner, a registered owner of a Tractor (NC-RH 4929) and Trailer (NC-RZ 4519), and respondents including the Officer-in-Charge, Punewa Police Station, and the Attorney General’s Department, the court addressed the issue of whether the orders of confiscation issued by the Magistrate of Medawachchiya and the High Court Judge of Anuradhapura with respect to the petitioner’s vehicles were justified under the Forest Ordinance. It was determined that the petitioner, who used the vehicles for farming and was not personally involved in the unauthorized transport of timber, had provided evidence of having taken reasonable precautions. The findings established that prior judicial precedents on owner responsibility and restoration of confiscated vehicles were not properly