Kumaresan v. Pannanwela and Others – sllr 1990 volume 2 page 181

In the case between Flight Lieutenant (Petitioner) and Officers of the Sri Lanka Air Force including the Air Force Commander (Respondents), the court addressed the validity of charges brought under the Air Force Act and Court Martial Regulations, focusing on compliance with Rule 21(1)(b) concerning the specificity of charges, the handling of objections regarding duplicity, and the use of the preliminary inquiry record as evidence. It was held that the proceedings of the Court Martial were fatally flawed due to vague and composite charges, lack of separate particulars for each accused, and improper evidentiary directions. The principles reaffirmed include the strict requirement that charges must clearly delineate the offence and particulars for each accused and that preliminary inquiry reco