Hewa Dewage Rathnasiri v. Hon. Attorney General – CA NO. 224/2009-2015

In the case between Hewa Dewage Rathnasiri (Accused-Appellant) and the Hon. Attorney General (Complainant-Respondent), the court addressed whether the Appellant’s actions constituted murder or culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The court set aside the conviction for murder and the associated death sentence, substituting it with a conviction for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 297 of the Penal Code, on the basis of knowledge rather than intent, and imposed a sentence of 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine. The principle reaffirmed was that absence of intention to cause death—where only knowledge of the likelihood of causing death is present—warrants conviction for the lesser charge. The decision relied on statutory interpretation and precedent regardin