Samasundara Mohotti Arachchige Nimal alias Kaluwa vs The Attorney General of Sri Lanka – SC APPEAL 60/2013-2023

In the case between the Attorney General of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and several accused individuals, including the 3rd and 4th Accused, the court addressed the evidentiary sufficiency concerning identity in criminal proceedings involving conspiracy to commit attempted murder, robbery, unlawful assembly, and related charges. It was held that the evidence, particularly the sole witness identification and the Section 27 statement, was not sufficient to prove the identity of the 4th Accused beyond reasonable doubt. The principle reaffirmed was that convictions must be based on cogent and credible evidence, and parity of reasoning must be applied when multiple accused are charged on similar evidence. The decision relied upon general standards of criminal evidence and prec