Mahamaddumage Don Eranda Suresh Kumara vs The Hon. Attorney General – CA/HCC/148/2020-2024

In the case between The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Attorney General) and Mahamaddumage Don Eranda Suresh Kumara, the court considered whether the uncorroborated testimony of a single eyewitness (PW1) was sufficient to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The proceedings focused on the evaluation of conflicting witness accounts regarding events on 04 August 2001, with particular scrutiny on the reliability and consistency of the prosecution’s evidence under charges from the Penal Code and the Offensive Weapon Act. The findings established that reliance solely on PW1’s testimony, contradicted by other witnesses and lacking corroborative support, failed to satisfy the legal standard required for conviction. The conviction and sentencing from the High Court were set aside,