Karavitage Dayananda Vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA – HCC 087/2018-2022

In The Honourable Attorney General, Attorney General’s Department, representing the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka v. Karavitage Dayananda, the court addressed whether the prosecution established the charge of murder against the appellant beyond a reasonable doubt and whether due consideration was given to the appellant’s dock statement. The conviction for murder following a land dispute was upheld, with the appellate court concluding that both the dying declarations and the confession, central to the prosecution’s case, were credible and admissible. The principle requiring careful judicial examination of dying declarations and confessions was reaffirmed. The court relied on relevant legal authorities governing these types of evidence, emphasizing that appellate intervention is