Abeyagunawardane v. Samoon And Others – sllr 2007 volume 1 page 276

In Abeyagunawardane v Samoon and Others, the court addressed the admissibility of video evidence in the context of a criminal trial involving allegations of heroin trafficking. The specific issue centered on whether a video recording could be admitted in compliance with the Evidence (Special Provisions) Act No. 14 of 1995, particularly Sections 4(1)(a)-(d) and Section 7, which establish mandatory requirements for the custody, sealing, and authentication of such evidence. It was held that the statutory conditions governing admission of video records were not met due to deficiencies in demonstrating safe custody, absence of a contemporaneous recording, and failure to provide adequate documentation ensuring prevention of tampering. The appellate review upheld the lower court’s refusal to admi