Tharushi Sandamini de Silva Pulle vs The Attorney General – CA/PHC 67/2024-2025

In the case between Tharushi Sandamini de Silva Pulle (Appellant/Registered Owner) and the Attorney General’s Department, Officer-in-Charge Police Station Kochchikade, and Kachchakaduge Shehan Chanaka (Respondents), the legal issues concerned the extent of precautions required by a vehicle owner to prevent the commission of an offence under Section 40 of the Forest Ordinance (as amended by Act No. 65 of 2009), specifically relating to the confiscation of a lorry allegedly used for illegal transportation of timber. It was held that the evidentiary record did not establish that the Appellant owner had failed to take necessary precautions, nor that the vehicle was used with her knowledge for committing the offence. The orders for confiscation issued by the lower courts were quashed, and the l