Balan Gunasingham alias Sinna v The Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC/0440/2017-2022

In the case between Balan Gunasingham alias Sinna (Accused-Appellant) and The Hon. Attorney General (Complainant-Respondent), the court addressed the validity of a conviction and life sentence imposed by the High Court of Colombo for possession and trafficking of 3.92 grams of heroin. The central issues considered were the reliability of prosecution witness testimony due to material contradictions, and whether the trial judge improperly rejected defence evidence and reversed the burden of proof in criminal proceedings. It was held that significant contradictions in police testimony raised reasonable doubt about the prosecution’s case, and that the trial judge had misdirected the burden of proof onto the accused, contrary to the established legal principle that the prosecution must prove gu