Dehigaspe Patabandige Nishantha Nanayakkara vs Kyoko Kyuma – SC APPEAL 123/2012-2020

Brief
In the case between Dehigaspe Patabandige Nishantha Nanayakkara and Kyoko Kyuma (among other parties such as the Officer-In-Charge and the Attorney General), the court addressed whether the High Court’s decision to overturn the Magistrate’s acquittal was manifestly erroneous in law. The central issue involved the legal sustainability of the evaluation of evidence regarding charges of assault, wrongful confinement, and related offences attributed to acts that allegedly occurred at the office of Ceylon MKN Eco Power (Pvt) Ltd. The court held that the High Court’s setting aside of the acquittal was not erroneous, and that the Magistrate’s assessment of the evidence—particularly concerning the medical evidence and credibility of testimonies—was flawed. The principles reaffirmed included