Gamage Don Ajantha Kumara vs The Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC 377/17-2025

In the matter of Gamage Don Ajantha Kumara (Appellant) and the Attorney General (Respondent), the court addressed the conviction and death sentence for two counts of murder. The central legal issue concerned the Appellant’s mental state, specifically schizophrenia, at the time of the offenses and its applicability under Section 338 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act. The court affirmed the principle that a proven mental disorder at the time of an offense necessitates appropriate judicial consideration, even if an insanity defense was initially rejected by the trial court. This decision relied on Section 338 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, emphasizing that the court has the power to quash a sentence and order alternative custody when new evidence regarding the offender’s mental st