Kankanamage Jagathchandra Wijesinghe vs. Hon. Attorney – General – CA/HCC/0169/2015-2024

In the case between The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Attorney General’s Department) and Kankanamage Jagathchandra Wijesinghe, the court addressed the legality of sentencing imposed on the appellant who was convicted of trafficking and possession of Cannabis Sativa L., possession of a firearm, and possession of a live cartridge. The principal legal issue concerned whether the trial judge’s discretion permitted deviation from mandatory minimum sentences under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Act, Firearms Ordinance, and related statutes, given medical evidence and alleged disparity with a co-accused who pleaded guilty. The holding determined that, despite statutory minimums and absence of compelling medical grounds, sentence recalibration was justified due to the elapsed