Amarasekara vs. Attorney General – sllr 2015 volume 1 page 400

In Amarasekara v. Attorney General, the court addressed the treatment and detention of convicted persons manifesting signs of mental unsoundness post-conviction. The central issue concerned whether existing statutory frameworks—specifically the Criminal Procedure Code, Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, and the Mental Diseases Ordinance—adequately provided for the post-conviction care and assessment of individuals whose insanity had not been proven at trial according to the required evidentiary standard. The court held that current law was insufficient to safeguard both public interest and the humane treatment of mentally disordered convicts, emphasizing the need for reform. Orders were issued to ensure the accused’s ongoing medical assessment and potential psychiat