The State vs. Ranasinghe Arachchige Karunawansha – CA HCC/0423/2018-2022

In the case between Ranasinghe Arachchige Karunawansha (Accused-Appellant) and The Hon. Attorney General (Complainant-Respondent), the court addressed the sufficiency of the prosecution’s evidence, the proper treatment of the appellant’s dock statement, and the proportionality of the sentence imposed, particularly the imposition of the death penalty in light of the appellant’s age. It was held that the prosecution’s evidence was credible and adequate to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and that the trial judge had correctly evaluated the appellant’s dock statement. However, due to the appellant’s age, the death sentence was set aside and substituted with life imprisonment. This decision reinforced the principle that sentencing must consider both statutory requirements and individ