Attorney General vs Liyanage Rathnapala – COURT OF APPEAL CASE NO. 14/2012-2014

In Attorney General v. Liyanage Rathnapala, the court examined whether the conviction for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 297 of the Penal Code, rather than murder under Section 296, was correct, alongside challenges to evidentiary rulings, alleged contradictions, and sentencing. It was determined that the evidence adduced, including the circumstances of the fatal stabbing following a family altercation and the accused’s state, supported the conviction, despite the defense’s objections regarding exclusion of certain testimony and purported inconsistencies in witness statements. Minor contradictions in the narrative were considered natural and did not undermine the prosecution’s case. The court relied on the Penal Code and the Evidence Ordinance, reinforcing that pro