Nakandalage Don Premasiri Jayaratna and Rathran Pramadige Vincent Wijewardena vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA 138/2020-2021

In the case between Nakandalage Don Premasiri Jayaratna and Rathran Pramadige Vincent Wijewardena (Appellants) and the Hon. Attorney General (Respondent), the court addressed whether police officers, convicted of an offense arising from the shooting and death of a suspect during a nighttime police operation, should have been acquitted under Section 69 of the Penal Code, which offers a defense for acts done in good faith under a mistaken belief of being bound by law. The court held that the convictions were unsustainable as the actions occurred during a good faith performance of police duties, reaffirming the principle that statutory protections apply when public officers act believing themselves obligated by law, unless bad faith is shown. Reliance was placed on the Police Ordinance and Se