Dissanayake Appuhamilage Deepthi Parakrama Dissanayake Vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC/0416/18-2022

In the case between the Attorney General (representing the State) and Dissanayake Appuhamilage Deepthi Parakrama Dissanayake, the court addressed whether the statutory mandatory sentencing regime for grave sexual abuse permits the exercise of judicial discretion when imposing penalties, and evaluated the appropriateness of the sentence originally imposed by the trial court. It was held that, while the statutory framework mandates a minimum sentence, judicial discretion remains to determine proportionality in light of case-specific circumstances. The sentence was reduced from 10 years to 8 years of rigorous imprisonment per count based on factors such as the absence of violence, the lack of prior convictions, and the accused’s personal circumstances. This ruling reaffirmed the interpretatio