Jayakodi Arachchilage Aruna Nilantha Jayasinghe and others Vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC/67-69/20-2022

In the case between The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, represented by the Attorney General (Complainant-Respondent), and Jayakodi Arachchilage Aruna Nilantha Jayasinghe, Manikwaduge Wajira Darshana de Silva, and Halkadaliya Lekamlage Premlal Jayasekara alias Choka Malli (Accused-Appellants), the court addressed the issue of whether the appellants were guilty of offences involving unlawful assembly, mischief, murder, and attempted murder under sections 140, 296, 300, 426, and 146 of the Penal Code based on vicarious liability in connection with a politically charged incident during the 2015 Presidential election campaign. It was held that the prosecution failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt, particularly regarding the proof of conscious and active participation in