Amarasiri vs. Attorney General – sllr 2019 volume 1 page 478

In Amarasiri (Appellant) v. Attorney General (Respondent), the court addressed the issue of whether procedural irregularities, specifically the delay in investigation and the non-disclosure of key evidence, infringed upon the appellant’s right to a fair trial under Article 13(3) of the Constitution. The holding established that the failure to conduct a timely investigation and to disclose the first police information and the Medico-Legal Report prejudiced the defence and resulted in the denial of a fair trial. The principle reaffirmed was that non-disclosure of crucial evidence and delays materially impacting the defence render a conviction unsafe, warranting acquittal. Reliance was placed on Wijepala v. Attorney General and Lakshami Singh v. State of Bihar, emphasizing that criminal convi