Ratnayake Mudiyanselage Nayanananda Ratnayake vs Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC/0051/0052/2016-2023

In the case between the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (State) and Prabu Kotalawala and Ratnayake Mudiyanselage Nayanananda Ratnayake, the court addressed the admissibility and sufficiency of identification evidence, particularly identification parade and dock identification, in sustaining convictions for murder. It was held that procedural irregularities in conducting the identification parade and the reliance on dock identification, without proper supporting records and in the absence of reliable corroboration, rendered the convictions unsafe. The fundamental principle reaffirmed was that convictions must rest on legally admissible and reliable identification evidence, consistent with precedents and safeguards prescribed by law. The decision emphasized that absence of contemp