Wanniarachchige Ranga Sampath Fonseka Vs. The Attorney General – SC Appeal 36/2020-2025

In the matter of Wanniarachchige Ranga Sampath Fonseka Vs. The Attorney General, the court addressed the issue of whether the Court of Appeal erred in failing to consider the defense’s argument that the High Court Judge’s rejection of the defense case, including a dock statement and defense witnesses, created reasonable doubt, particularly concerning an alibi defense raised for the first time in a dock statement and the admissibility of rebuttal evidence. The court held that the appeal was dismissed, reaffirming the principle that an alibi defense must be raised at the outset and that a belated alibi presented in a dock statement, without prior notice or corroboration, carries limited evidentiary value. This decision relied on *Justice Mahinda Samayawardhana in SC/APPEAL/61/2023* and *Vish