Ranmenika and Another vs. Walliethana and Others – sllr 2019 volume 1 page 241

In the case between Ranmenika and another (Plaintiff-Appellant) and Walliethana and others (Defendant-Respondent), the issue revolved around the applicability of the doctrine of res judicata and issue estoppel under section 40 of the Evidence Ordinance and section 100, along with questions concerning pre-payment of costs and defects in the permit. The findings established that the essential elements of res judicata, including identity of parties and finality of previous decisions, must be satisfied, while issue estoppel was addressed as part of the English Law of Evidence in civil cases. The judgment clarified that pre-payment of costs did not impose a time restriction prohibitive to the maintainability of the action, and that alleged permit defects were not raised appropriately at trial.