Puwakgahakumbure Gedara William Wijesinghe vs Attorney-General – SC Appeal No: 109/2017-2022

In the case between the Officer in Charge, Police Station, Wattegama, and Puwakgahakumbure Gedara William Wijesinghe, the court addressed whether the initiation of proceedings under Section 177 of the Penal Code complied with Section 135(1)(a) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, specifically in relation to the requirement for a valid sanction from the Attorney-General or a proper complaint from a public servant. The court held that the procedural prerequisites under Section 135(1)(a) were satisfied by the submission of the B report, which qualified as a complaint, thereby rejecting the assertion of a lack of jurisdiction. The principle established is that compliance with statutory requirements for complaints or sanctions is determined by the substance and source of the initiating report rat