Ranepura Dewage Prasanna et al. vs The Attorney General – CA HCC/0200/15-2022

The case between the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Attorney General) and Ranepura Dewage Prasanna, Samarasinghe Gama Arachchige Sugath Samarasinghe (alias Saneera), Ranasinghe Arachchige Chandra Kumara (alias Kiki), and Sandanam Christopher addressed the issue of whether the accused-appellants were proved to be members of an unlawful assembly and thereby responsible for murder and attempted murder. The court held that the evidence, particularly regarding eyewitness identification and the existence of common intention among the accused, was not credible or sufficient to support conviction, thereby reaffirming the principle that proof beyond reasonable doubt is essential in criminal cases and that mere presence at the scene or inconsistent testimony cannot sustain a conviction