Kurudukarage Lalitha Padmini vs The Hon. Attorney General – CA/HCC/0169/20-2025

In the case between Kurudukarage Lalitha Padmini (Appellant) and the Hon. Attorney General (Respondent), the central legal issues concerned the propriety of convicting the Appellant based solely on the “last seen theory,” the correct application of the Ellenborough principle in the assessment of circumstantial evidence, and whether the prosecution had sufficiently established individual criminal liability beyond reasonable doubt. The Appellant and a co-accused were charged with kidnapping, murder, and robbery relating to the death of Kandhanamulla Kankanalage Duminda Nalin Kulatilaka. The case was tried without a jury, resulting in conviction at the High Court of Kalutara. On appeal, it was held that the sole reliance on circumstantial evidence, including the discovery of a Catty and last