Jinendradasa Wanigasinghe vs Republic of Sri Lanka – CA APPEAL NO. 127/2011-2013

In the case between the Republic of Sri Lanka (Respondent) and Jinendradasa Wanigasinghe alias Peeter Chuti alias Tangalle Chuti, 1st Accused-appellant, the court addressed the issue of whether the identification of the accused at an identification parade, when not reaffirmed during trial, could sustain a conviction, and whether procedural concerns, including the absence of a fingerprint report and alleged lack of assessment of the accused’s dock statement, warranted overturning the conviction. It was held that identification at a properly conducted parade could sustain a conviction, even if not repeated in court, provided there was no substantive evidence of unfairness in its conduct. The appellate court reaffirmed the principle that identification parade evidence, when reliable and corro