Uswatte Liyanage Wijayananda Perera vs Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC 0418-0420/2019-2024

In the case between the Hon. Attorney General (Complainant) and the accused/appellants (including three primary appellants in the retrial), the court addressed the question of whether the criminal proceedings—including convictions and sentencing orders—were undermined by procedural irregularities affecting fair trial rights. The judgment determined that the appellants were denied a fair trial due to significant procedural lapses, particularly concerning judicial transfers, evidentiary omissions, and credibility issues in eyewitness testimony. The court concluded that it would be unjust to order a third trial after a protracted delay of nearly twenty years and set aside the convictions and sentences. The established principle reaffirmed the paramount importance of a fair trial and the prote