Mohamed Nawas Mohamed Siras alias Jan vs Hon. Attorney General – CA 179/2010-2015

In the case between The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Mohamed Nawas Mohamed Siras alias Jan, the court addressed whether the accused-appellant was lawfully convicted under section 54A(d) of the Poisons Opium and Dangerous Drugs Act for possessing 5 grams of heroin, and whether the trial was conducted fairly, including the use of police Information Book (I.B.) entries as substantive evidence without affording the defence an opportunity to challenge them. The findings established that the trial judge’s reliance on I.B. entries at the judgment stage, absent defence input or cross-examination, constituted a misdirection and procedurally unfair trial. Additional concerns over unaddressed discrepancies in the weight of the seized heroin further impacted the case. The holding rea