Sembu Thanthrige Chamara Asanka Sampath vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC 0058-059/21-2025

In the case between the Attorney General/Attorney General’s Department, Colombo-12 (Respondent) and Sembu Thanthrige Chamara Asanka Sampath and Sumedha Manjula Punchihewa (Appellants), the court addressed the issue of whether the prosecution had sustained its burden beyond a reasonable doubt in a drug trafficking prosecution, given discrepancies in the chain of custody and in the weight of the seized heroin. It was determined that serious lapses in evidentiary handling—including a significant weight discrepancy (16.100g by police versus 8.64g by the Government Analyst) and procedural failures regarding sealing and documentation—undermined the integrity of the evidence, depriving the accused of a fair trial. It was established that the prosecution’s duty to prove its case beyond a reasonabl