Palaniandy vs Rangasamy – clr volume 2 page 122

In Palaniandy v. Rangasamy, with F. C. Fisher, Fiscal of the Province of Uva, as appellant, the court addressed whether a fiscal is in default for not returning a process before the court’s sitting begins or is permitted to use the entirety of the returnable day for such a return. The holding established that the fiscal is entitled to the full returnable day to make the return and is not considered in default until the day’s expiration. This decision reaffirmed the principle that compliance with procedural timelines must account for the entirety of the specified period, rather than being limited to the court’s opening hours. The ruling relied on the proper interpretation of the relevant Code provisions and clarified that penalties for alleged default cannot be imposed if action is complete