Weerakoon Mudiyanselage Loku Banda vs Hon. Attorney-General – CA APPEAL NO.131/2010-2013

In the case between Weerakoon Mudiyanselage Loku Banda (Accused-Appellant) and the Hon. Attorney-General (Respondent), the court addressed whether the accused-appellant’s conviction for murder was justified on the basis of available evidence and legal standards under Section 297 of the Penal Code. It was determined that the prosecution evidence established the occurrence of a fatal assault but did not conclusively prove a murderous intention, only knowledge that death was likely from the act. The defense of right of private defense was rejected due to lack of supporting evidence and failure to raise it earlier. The conviction for murder was set aside and replaced with a conviction for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, with the sentence reduced from death to seven years’ rigorous i