James Silva v. The Republic of Sri Lanka – sllr 1980 volume 2 page 167

Brief
In Silva v. The Republic of Sri Lanka, the court addressed whether a conviction for bribery against a process server, arising from allegations made during the service of divorce summons, could stand in light of conflicting evidence and judicial approaches to the presumption of innocence. It was held that the trial court erred by evaluating the defence exclusively against the prosecution’s case, thereby undermining the presumption of innocence and misapplying the burden of proof. This decision reaffirmed the principle that an accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence and that the prosecution must establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The judgment emphasized strict adherence to evidentiary standards, referencing established legal principles, and resulted in the acquittal o