Premadasa vs Attorney General – CA HC/263/2015-2015

In the case between W.L.D. Premadasa and the Hon. Attorney General, the issue concerned whether the accused’s conviction for murder by the High Court should be maintained or amended, specifically whether the facts justified a conviction for culpable homicide not amounting to murder due to a sudden fight under Section 297 of the Penal Code. The initial conviction for murder was revisited in light of mutual agreement between both the defense and the prosecution that a sudden altercation, rather than premeditation, characterized the incident. Relying on Section 297 of the Penal Code, it was determined that the conviction should be varied, and the accused found guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The appellate court imposed a sentence of 12 years’ rigorous imprisonment, a fine