Jafferjee vs Sebo – clr volume 3 page 097

The case between Carimjee Jafferjee, Esq. (plaintiff) and Pattiniyadurage Sebo (defendant) addressed whether a promissory note signed in Sinhalese by Gira, alleged to be Sebo’s appointed agent, validly bound Sebo under the Bills of Exchange Act, 1882. It was held that the validity hinged upon the capacity in which the signature was made and the interpretation of the agent’s designation on the instrument. The legal questions involved whether the form and wording of the signature met statutory requirements for binding a principal, and whether agency could be inferred from the translation of the agent’s designation. The findings reaffirmed that the strict application of statutory requirements, particularly those in sections 23 and 26 of the Bills of Exchange Act, governed personal liability o