Thewaththa Kale Reman Appuhamilage Karunaratne vs. The Attorney General – CA HCC/0200/2020-2022

In the case between Thewaththa Kale Reman Appuhamilage Karunaratne (appellant) and the Attorney General (respondent), the Court of Appeal considered whether the prosecution had established an unbroken and credible chain of custody over the detected heroin and whether inconsistencies in witness testimony undermined the conviction for trafficking and possession of heroin. The sequence of events revealed material discrepancies in the evidence of Excise Department officers regarding both the circumstances of the arrest and the custody of material evidence. Upon review, it was held that the prosecution evidence was insufficient to meet the threshold of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, resulting in the acquittal of the appellant. This decision reaffirmed the principle that a criminal conviction