Rathnayake Mudiyanselage Jayantha Rathnayake Vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA 252/2009-2016

In the case between The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (represented by the Attorney General) and Rathnayake Mudiyanselage Jayantha Rathnayake, the court addressed whether the death of Manjula Priyadarshani Warnakulasuriya was the result of an accidental motor vehicle incident or a premeditated murder by the accused. The court held that the conviction of the accused for murder was supported by strong circumstantial evidence, which excluded any reasonable hypothesis of innocence, thereby reaffirming that circumstantial evidence must be consistent only with the guilt of the accused. This decision relied on legal principles governing circumstantial evidence, the assessment of motive, and the evaluation of both direct and expert testimony. The ruling emphasized that where the eviden