Iyoob Mohamed Rifas vs The Officer in Charge, Police Station, Sammanthurai and The Attorney General – CPA/81/22-2023

In the case between Iyoob Mohamed Rifas (Plaintiff/Appellant/Petitioner) and the Officer in Charge, Police Station, Sammanthurai, and the Attorney General’s Department (Defendants/Respondents), the court addressed the issue of whether herding cattle by foot constitutes “transportation” under the Animals Act and the correctness of lower courts’ confiscation orders. It was held that herding cattle on foot is not “transportation” in the strict statutory sense requiring a vehicle, and that the lower courts misdirected themselves in interpreting the Act, leading to a procedural error. The orders of confiscation issued by the Magistrate of Sammanthurai and their affirmation by the High Court Judge were set aside, reaffirming the principle that statutory terms require precise interpretation, and