Rajapakse Subasinghe Pathiranage Cyril Shantha Vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA CASE NO 048/2019-2022

In the case of The Attorney General of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (on behalf of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka) versus Rajapakse Subasinghe Pathiranage Cyril Shantha, the court addressed issues including the justification of a murder conviction under Section 296 of the Penal Code where the evidence was wholly circumstantial, compliance with statutory procedural safeguards, and the integrity of a non-jury trial. It was held that the conviction and sentence should be upheld, with findings establishing that the procedural requirements relating to jury option, admissibility, and evaluation of evidence were satisfied, and that the circumstantial evidence was sufficient to exclude all reasonable hypotheses other than the accused’s guilt. Established legal prin