Sendahakuru Jayantha v. Hon. Attorney General – CA 93/2011-2011

In the case between Sendahakuru Jayantha (Accused-Appellant) and the Hon. Attorney General (Respondent), the issue addressed was whether a conviction for murder under Section 296 of the Penal Code, based solely on a confession made to a police officer and without any eyewitness testimony, could be lawfully sustained. It was held that a conviction relying exclusively on such a confession is not permissible, reaffirming the principle that, under Sections 25 and 26 of the Evidence Ordinance, confessions made to police officers are inadmissible unless recorded before a magistrate. The decision cited authorities including Kamal Kishore v. State Delhi Administration and Queen v. Dvis Appuhamy, emphasizing that procedural safeguards concerning confessional evidence must be strictly observed. As a