Meezan Foreign Trades vs Director General of Customs – CA 784/1998-2011

In the case between M.M. Mohideen and others (trading as “Meezan Foreign Trades”) and the Director General of Customs, Sri Lanka Customs, the court addressed whether the Director General of Customs, as named, constitutes a legal person capable of being sued. It was held that the office of Director General, in the absence of an express statutory provision conferring legal personality under the Customs Ordinance, is not a legal entity that can be made a party to an action. This reaffirmed the principle that statutory officers cannot be sued nomine officii unless legal personality is clearly established by statute. Reliance was placed on authorities including Land Commissioner vs. Ladamuttu Pillai, emphasizing the requirement for clear legislative intent for conferment of such status. As a re