Hon. Attorney General vs. Kasinathan Muhunathan, Balasubramanium Sivaruban, Peduru Ranepura Hewa Gunasena – CA APPEAL NO: HCC-39-41/2018-2023

In the case between Hon. Attorney General and Kasinathan Muhunathan, Balasubramanium Sivaruban, and Peduru Ranepura Hewa Gunasena, the court addressed the issue of whether the prosecution’s case—based largely on circumstantial and conflicted eyewitness evidence—could sustain convictions for crimes including criminal trespass, robbery with a firearm, murder, and causing grievous hurt. It was held that material inconsistencies in witness identification and fundamental doubts in the evidentiary chain precluded a finding of guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The court reaffirmed the principle that circumstantial evidence must be so cogent as to exclude every other hypothesis except guilt, with identification being clear and reliable. Reference was made to relevant precedents on identification evid