Kakille Dissanayake Arachchige Ruwan Chamara vs Officer-in-Charge, Police Station, Akmeemana and others – 114/2020-2024

In the matter of Kakille Dissanayake Arachchige Ruwan Chamara (1st Accused – Appellant) vs. Officer-in-Charge, Police Station, Akmeemana and Honourable Attorney-General, the Court addressed the reliability of visual identification evidence in a robbery case. The Court held that the lower courts erred in their evaluation of visual identification evidence concerning the 1st Accused, finding it unsatisfactory and unsafe. This decision reaffirmed the principle that caution and scrutiny are necessary when evaluating such evidence, especially under circumstances involving potential identification issues. The ruling relied on legal principles governing visual identification, including the.
‘Turnbull principles’, emphasizing that the admission of identification parade notes without objection does