Sulaiman Dharmadasa vs Attorney General – CA HCC 0297/24-2025

In the matter of Sulaiman Dharmadasa (Accused-Appellant), the court addressed the issue of distinguishing murderous intention for murder under Section 296 of the Penal Code from culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 297. The court held that the appellant lacked the requisite murderous intention, setting aside the murder conviction and substituting it with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. This decision reaffirmed the principle that specific intent or ‘special knowledge’ of causing death is crucial for a murder conviction, emphasizing the distinction between Section 293 and Section 294 of the Penal Code, and relying on precedents such as *Reg vs Govinda* and *R.G.Somapala vs Queen*.

Pradeep Hettiarachchi, J. – The High Court’s conviction and death sentence for