Katulanda Arachchilage Ranjith Gunasekara et al. v. State – CA 189-190/2013-2017

In the case between Katulanda Arachchilage Ranjith Gunasekara and others (Appellants) and the State (Respondent), the court addressed the issue of whether the conviction and sentence for murder under Section 296 of the Penal Code was justified, specifically analyzing the reliability of eyewitness identification by the deceased’s mother. It was held that the identification was reliable, as it was based on adequate observation and lighting, and maintained under cross-examination. The court reaffirmed the principle that identification evidence, when supported by careful observation and testable through cross-examination, is sufficient to sustain a conviction. The decision relied on precedents such as REGINA v. TURNBULL, emphasizing that reliable identification, despite some facial covering, c