Weerasekera Mudiyaselage Prabath Ruwan v. Hon. Attorney General – HCC/400-402/19-2022

In the case between the Hon. Attorney General, Attorney General’s Department, Colombo 12 (Complainant-Respondent) and Weerasekera Mudiyanselage Prabath Ruwan, Kadiravelu Sugumaran, and Weerasekera Mudiyanselage Upali Priyashantha (Accused-Appellants), the court addressed the validity of the accused’s convictions for murder. The court held that minor contradictions or omissions in eyewitness testimony did not undermine overall credibility, that the identification of the knife was not essential so long as there was supporting medical evidence, and that liability for murder could be properly attributed through the doctrine of common intention even in the absence of pre-concerted planning. Admissibility and sufficiency of dying declarations under Section 32 of the Evidence Ordinance were found