Akurugoda Gamage Upendra vs The Attorney General – CA-HCC/156-159/2020-2025

The court addressed the issue of whether the murder conviction could rest solely on the strength of the deceased’s dying declarations without further corroboration. It was held that a conviction for murder can be sustained upon the clear, voluntary, and credible dying declarations of the deceased even in the absence of corroborative evidence, provided the declarations withstand scrutiny as to their truth and voluntariness. This principle was reaffirmed with reference to earlier judicial precedents on the evidentiary value and inherent limitations of dying declarations. The cumulative prosecution evidence—including the dying declarations, witness testimony, and analysis of defence contentions regarding cause of death—was found sufficient to affirm the conviction, leading to the dismissal of