Tennakoon Mudiyanselage Palitha Tennakoon vs The Hon. Attorney-General – CA APPEAL NO.173/11-2013

In The Hon. Attorney-General v. Tennakoon Mudiyanselage Palitha Tennakoon, the court examined the legality of the conviction for murder based on two dying declarations and the recovery of a knife under Section 27 of the Evidence Ordinance. It was held that the conviction and death sentence were sound, with the court reaffirming that the reliability of multiple dying declarations, despite some uncalled or absent witnesses, remains intact if corroborated by material evidence and consistent with established legal principles. The decision reinforced the doctrine that not every listed witness must be called by the prosecution, citing both Sri Lankan and Indian authorities, with emphasis placed on the admissibility and sufficiency of dying declarations supported by corroborative evidence.

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