The Attorney General vs Angoda Bandarage Palitha Kumarasiri – CA PHC/APN/CPA/83/19-2022

In the case between the Attorney General, Sri Lanka, and Angoda Bandarage Palitha Kumarasiri, the court addressed whether the High Court’s sentencing of the respondent—convicted under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act, No. 13 of 1984 for possession and trafficking of 0.805 grams of heroin—was manifestly illegal for allegedly failing to impose the minimum mandatory sentence required by law. It was held that the sentencing order, which included a suspended term of imprisonment and a fine, was not improper, as judicial discretion was exercised with sufficient justification, particularly considering the small quantity involved, the respondent’s plea of guilt, and rehabilitation prospects. The decision reaffirmed that limited judicial discretion is permissible in sentencing