Indiketiya Hewage Ananda vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA 156/2016-2021

In the case between Indiketiya Hewage Ananda (Accused-Appellant) and The Hon. Attorney General (Complainant-Respondent), the central legal issue concerned the validity of the conviction for murder, primarily based on the reliability and admissibility of the deceased’s dying declaration. The core allegation challenged whether sole reliance on an uncorroborated dying declaration, with alleged procedural irregularities, could legally sustain a conviction. The Court held that the dying declaration, though uncorroborated, was properly admitted and its authenticity was not impugned by minor discrepancies or the absence of the deceased’s signature due to injury. The principle reaffirmed was that a conviction can be sustained on a dying declaration alone if it meets statutory and evidentiary crite