Alexander vs Alwis – clr volume 3 page 012

In Alexander v. Alwis, the court considered whether a regulation framed under Ordinance No. 10 of 1885, which prohibited removing forest produce without a pass, could retrospectively extend to timber felled on private lands as a result of a subsequent amendment in Ordinance No. 1 of 1892. It was determined that the amendment, although broadening the definition of “forest produce” to include timber, did not retrospectively alter existing regulations. The principle established emphasized that legislative amendments to statutory definitions do not retroactively broaden the scope of previously enacted regulations. Reliance was placed on the ordinances at issue, with a clear delineation between prospective and retrospective legislative effect.

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