Mawarakanda Wathukarage Ariyaratna vs The Attorney General – CA HCC/0290/2018-2022

In The Attorney General (on behalf of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka) v. Mawarakanda Wathukarage Ariyaratna, the court considered the validity of the conviction and sentence for murder under Section 296 of the Penal Code, focusing on the admissibility and sufficiency of a single eyewitness’s evidence, the alleged misattribution of a death certificate, and compliance with Section 33 of the Evidence Ordinance. It was held that the correct witness testified, the death certificate confusion was properly clarified, and Section 33 was not applicable. The single eyewitness testimony was deemed credible and corroborated by additional evidence, and the accused’s alibi was not accepted. The principle reaffirmed was that a conviction may rest on trustworthy single-witness testimony if