Karunaratne v. Republic of Sri Lanka – sllr 1996 volume 2 page 166

In Karunaratne v. Republic of Sri Lanka, the court addressed whether procedural irregularities in a murder trial undermined the validity of the conviction. The primary legal question centered on the trial judge’s failure to adequately direct the jury on the full range of possible verdicts, in accordance with Sections 209(2), 234, and 234(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, and the Registrar’s failure to ascertain the unanimity of the jury’s decision. The case involved Karunaratne and others (Accused-Appellants) and the Republic of Sri Lanka (Respondent). It was determined that the summing-up to the jury was insufficient and that the mandatory question regarding unanimity was not posed to the jury, rendering the conviction invalid. The holding reaffirms the principle that strict compliance w