Lishantha Kumara Siriwardhana alias Mangala Vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA – HCC 487/2017-2022

In the case between The Honourable Attorney General (on behalf of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka) and Lishantha Kumara Siriwardhana alias Mangala, the court addressed whether an appeal against a conviction for possession and trafficking of heroin under the Poisons Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance was filed within the legally prescribed period, and if alleged discrepancies in the accused’s name and the production chain in evidence could invalidate the conviction. It was held that the appeal, filed over two and a half years late, was procedurally out of time under Section 331(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, and no satisfactory explanation was given for the delay or absconding. The alleged substantive appellate grounds regarding name discrepancy and chain of custo