Mawarakanda Wathukarage Padmasiri, Pallewage Kapuralalage Rohana Anurasiri, Weragala Hewage Chaminda Pushpakumara vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC/0164-166/2020-2023

In the case between the Accused-Appellants, including Somaratne, Manjula, and others, and the Hon. Attorney General, the court addressed the validity of the conviction for the murder of Bodhiya Baduge Dayaratna alias Ukkun. The central legal issues involved the reliability of a dying declaration as admissible evidence, the credibility of eyewitness identification under challenging conditions, and inconsistencies within the prosecution’s case. The earlier conviction and death sentence were based largely on circumstantial evidence and the contested dying declaration, despite contradictions in witness accounts. Upon detailed review, the conviction and sentence were set aside, and all appellants were acquitted. The ruling reaffirmed the principle that convictions must rest upon cogent, consist