Guruge Premadasa and others Vs. The Attorney General – CA 286/2009-2009

In the case between the Attorney General of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Guruge Premadasa, Sudesh Perumal Kumar, and Kottage Saman, the court addressed whether the accused-appellants were denied the right to a fair trial due to newly assigned counsel not being granted adequate time or information to prepare, in violation of statutory, constitutional, and international legal principles. It was held that the right to a fair trial was not meaningfully afforded, warranting the quashing of the conviction and sentence and ordering a re-trial. The decision reaffirmed the principle that courts must ensure the actuality of justice being served, not simply its appearance, anchored in the Criminal Procedure Code, constitutional protections (Article 13(3)), and international huma