Jayakodi Mudiyanselage Ranjith Kumarasiri Jayakodi vs. Officer-in-Charge, Police Station, Alawwa – CA PHC/216/2017-2022

In the matter between Jayakodi Mudiyanselage Ranjith Kumarasiri, Jayakodi (appellant) and the Officer-in-Charge, Police Station, Alawwa, the Hon. Attorney General, and Mercantile Investment Finance PLC (respondents), the court examined whether the appellant, as the registered owner of a vehicle used for illegal timber transport, had taken all necessary measures to prevent its unlawful use, warranting exemption from confiscation under the Forest Ordinance. The issue also included alleged contradictions in the appellant’s evidence, and whether the Magistrate’s and High Court’s factual findings justified appellate intervention. It was held that no material contradiction existed, the appellant met the legal standard of proof (balance of probability), and both lower court orders were set aside,