De Saram v. The Republic of Sri Lanka – sllr 2002 volume 1 page 288

In the case between De Saram (the accused-appellant) and the Republic of Sri Lanka, the court addressed the sufficiency and admissibility of evidence supporting a murder conviction. The court held that the evidence—including forensic findings, witness testimonies, and the accused’s own statement regarding the burial site—met the legal threshold for affirming the conviction, and the appeal was dismissed. The principle was reaffirmed that post-crime assistance by witnesses does not render them accomplices, and the proper application of sections 27(1) and 114(b) of the Evidence Ordinance controls the admissibility and weight of confessional and circumstantial evidence. Reference was made to statutory provisions and relevant case law, underscoring that circumstantial evidence must, as a whole,