Balachandran Niranjan v. The Honorable Attorney General – CA HCC/121/2019-2022

In the case between The Honourable Attorney General (on behalf of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka) and Balachandran Niranjan, the court addressed the credibility of prosecution evidence regarding the accused’s alleged heroin trafficking, focusing on contradictions in testimony, the reliability of the informant’s information, and the adequacy of judicial consideration of the defence case. It was held that substantial contradictions and inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case, combined with insufficient judicial assessment of the defence, raised a reasonable doubt as to the appellant’s guilt, necessitating acquittal. This decision reaffirmed the principle that the prosecution must prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt and that fair trial standards require equal assessment of b