Hon. Attorney General vs Ilandari Dewa Gunadasa alias Gotti Gunaya and Punchahakuru Gunaratne alias Soththiya – CA CASE NO. 191-192/19-2022

In the case between Hon. Attorney General (Complainant/Respondent) and Punchahakuru Gunaratne alias Soththiya (Accused–Appellant), the court addressed whether the conviction and death sentence for murder under Section 296 of the Penal Code were contrary to the evidence led at trial, particularly focusing on the credibility of the sole eyewitness and the possibility of third-party involvement. The findings established that the prosecution’s case rested on the testimony of a single eyewitness whose credibility was scrutinized in light of defence arguments that either the witness could not have observed the incident or that someone else could have inflicted the fatal injuries. It was determined that, despite minor gaps attributed to trauma, the eyewitness’s account was credible and unshaken,