Rangasamy Kanaganayagam alias Kajan Mama vs Hon. Attorney General – CA PHC APN NO. 13/2019-2020

In the matter between Rangasamy Kanaganayagam alias Kajan Mama and Edwin Silva Krishana Nandarajah alias Pradeep Master (Petitioners) and the Hon. Attorney General (Respondent), the legal issue concerned the validity of confessions admitted by the High Court of Batticaloa as voluntary under the applicable law. The Court addressed whether the confessions were given freely or were the result of inducement, examining adherence to the statutory standards under Section 24 of the Evidence Ordinance and the Prevention of Terrorism Act. It was held that the trial court erred in admitting the confessions without adequately assessing the effect of inducement, prolonged detention, and the lack of proper opportunity for independent reflection. The principle reaffirmed is that confessions must be prove