Samasundara Hettige Chamil Pradeep Kumara vs. The Attorney General – CA HCC/0054/2018-2022

In the case between the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (represented by the Attorney General) and Samasundara Hettige Chamil Pradeep Kumara, the court addressed whether the circumstantial evidence presented was sufficient to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt in a murder charge. It was determined that the evidence, primarily based on the accused’s alleged connection to the crime scene through a rented three-wheeler and a recovered stool, did not exclude all reasonable hypotheses of innocence. The court held that suspicion alone is inadequate to secure a conviction, reaffirming the requirement that convictions must be grounded on evidence that meets the standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt, especially in cases relying solely on circumstantial evidence. The decision relied o