Srilal De Silva and Another v. The Republic of Sri Lanka – sllr 1988 volume 1 page 299

In the case between Srilal De Silva and Another (Plaintiffs) and The Republic of Sri Lanka (Defendant), the court addressed the admissibility of hearsay evidence and unsworn dock statements in establishing the accused’s knowledge for the purposes of conviction. It was held that convictions could not legally be sustained when based on hearsay provided by an informant and on the use of one accused’s dock statement against another, reaffirming the principle that only legally admissible evidence may underpin a finding of guilt. The judgment relied on the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act and established that procedural misdirections by the trial judge warranted quashing of the convictions and necessitated a new trial where sufficient admissible evidence may otherwise support con