Hector Jayasuriya vs. Attorney General – sllr 2012 volume 2 page 336

In the case between Hector Jayasuriya and the Attorney General, the court addressed whether compliance with Section 195(ee) of the Criminal Procedure Code—specifically, the mandatory offering of a jury trial option to the accused—had been met. It was held that the failure to record the offering of this option constituted a fundamental defect in the proceedings, invalidating the conviction and sentence. The principle was reaffirmed that statutory requirements regarding the rights of the accused must be strictly observed and accurately recorded, with the insufficiency of the court record not being curable by extrinsic or presumptive evidence. Reliance was placed on the statutory mandate and precedent emphasizing the preservation of fair trial rights, resulting in the conviction and sentence