Kekulandara Mudiyanselage Don Anura Weerasinghe vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA/HCC/314/18-2024

In the case between the Accused-Appellant and The Attorney General, the court addressed the issues of the integrity of the chain of custody concerning seized heroin, discrepancies in the drug’s weight measurement, compliance with evidentiary protocols under Section 159 of the Evidence Ordinance, and whether the prosecution proved guilt beyond reasonable doubt. It was held that significant lapses in evidence handling—including mismatched weights, conflicting witness accounts, and absence of crucial documentation—fatally undermined the prosecution’s case. The principle reaffirmed is that criminal convictions, particularly in drug-related offences, require strict adherence to evidentiary standards and must be proven beyond reasonable doubt. The decision relied on established case law concerni