Meragalage Chandana Pushpa Kumara Perera vs. Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC/0225/15-2023

In the case between Meragalage Chandana Pushpa Kumara Perera (Appellant) and the Hon. Attorney General (Respondent), the central issue concerned the adequacy of the trial process in considering the appellant’s mental health under sections 374 and 375 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC). It was determined that the appellant’s history of mental illness was not properly evaluated prior to the trial, and the committal to trial proceeded without a full inquiry into mental fitness, contrary to prescribed procedure. The findings established that reliance solely on a single psychiatric report, without addressing contrary evidence or conducting a comprehensive inquiry, amounted to a procedural irregularity. Consequently, the conviction and sentence were set aside, with further direction for steps