Lasika Udayanganee Samaranayake v. Diyabore Gedara Sanath Kumara et al. – LTA/0004/08-2022

In the case between Lasika Udayanganee Samaranayake (Appellant, aggrieved party and wife of an abductee) and Diyabore Gedara Sanath Kumara & Others (Accused-Respondents), with the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka as complainant, the court addressed whether the High Court’s acquittal of the accused in the abduction of Sunil Widanage and Anura Samarathunga should be set aside. It was held that the acquittal was to remain undisturbed, as the prosecution’s evidence—presented after a substantial delay and compromised by unreliable identification—was not properly strengthened to outweigh the findings of the trial court. The principle reaffirmed was the limited scope of appellate intervention in acquittals, especially where the trial court’s assessment of credibility has not been proved