Sathasivam Chandrakanthan v. Attorney General – C A NO. 216/2012-2012

In Attorney General v. Sathasivam Chandrakanthan, the court addressed the issue of whether a murder conviction based solely on circumstantial evidence met the threshold for proof beyond reasonable doubt. It was held that the conviction and sentence for the murder of Kumutha Chandrakanthan were justified, as the cumulative effect of the circumstantial evidence established the accused’s guilt. The court reaffirmed the principle that circumstantial evidence, when considered collectively as forming a coherent and unbroken chain, can be sufficient to rebut the presumption of innocence. This decision relied on established precedents such as King v. Gunarathna and Regina v. Exall, underscoring that the combination of being last seen with the deceased, physical evidence, and subsequent conduct may