Randeni Aarachchige Dona Indunil Samantha vs. The Hon. Attorney General – HCC/0202/2019-2024

In the case between The Hon. Attorney General (Complainant) and Randeni Aarachchige Dona Indunil Samantha (Accused-Appellant), the court addressed the issue of whether procedural and evidentiary irregularities in the trial—including handling of the indictment, timing, unspecified offence dates, exclusion of defense evidence, and certain sentencing directions—vitiated the conviction for the rape of a minor. It was held that the identified procedural missteps did not result in material prejudice sufficient to overturn the conviction, though modifications to the compensation direction and associated default sentence were warranted. The principle reaffirmed is that procedural irregularities do not automatically render a criminal conviction unsafe unless substantive injustice or prejudice is cl