Subadhra Irene Mangalika Wijewickrama v. D.S.B.S. Chandrawathi – SC APPEAL NO. 177/2016-2022

In the case between Subadhra Irene Mangalika Wijewickrama and D.S.B.S. Chandrawathi, the court addressed the exemption of a public officer’s pension from seizure under section 218(g) of the Civil Procedure Code, specifically interpreting whether the term “stipend” encompasses “pension.” The sequence initiated with an attempt to seize the Appellant’s salary and pension to satisfy a money decree, with the Additional District Judge exempting the pension from seizure, followed by a reversal by the High Court of Civil Appeal. Upon appeal, it was held that “stipend” is synonymous with “pension,” thereby exempting the pension from seizure, while permitting seizure of the commuted gratuity. The decision reaffirmed the statutory interpretation principle that courts must ascertain the contemporary m