Appeals Court upholds death sentence on drug trafficker ‘Sudakaran’
February 27, 2026 12:57 pm
The Court of Appeal has decided to uphold the death sentence imposed on the defendant, Jayasingam Rajeev, alias “Sudakaran,” dismissing an appeal he had filed against the sentence handed down by the Colombo High Court for the possession and trafficking of 2.53 grams of heroin.
Justice Shashi Mahendran, with the concurrence of Court of Appeal Justice P. Kumararatnam, announced this verdict after considering the appeal filed by the defendant, challenging the death penalty imposed on him, said Ada Derana reporter.
The defendant was arrested by the police on March 17, 2014, during a raid in the Madampitiya area of Colombo, while in possession of 2.53 grams of heroin.
Subsequently, the Attorney General filed indictments against the defendant in the Colombo High Court on charges of possession and trafficking of heroin.
The High Court judge, who presided over the trial, found the defendant guilty of the relevant charges and sentenced him to death.
Filing an appeal against that verdict in the Court of Appeal, the defendant claimed that the manner in which the High Court had imposed the death sentence was contrary to the law.
In his appeal, he stated that the judge had failed to consider contradictions within the prosecution’s evidence when delivering the judgment and further alleged that the judge had not properly evaluated the legality of the manner in which he was arrested.
However, the Court of Appeal bench, delivering the verdict after considering the facts presented by all parties, stated that the High Court judge had correctly analyzed and evaluated the evidence in an appropriate manner when reaching the decision.
Accordingly, the Court of Appeal bench noted that the High Court judge’s verdict was legally sound and that their court did not intend to interfere with it.
In conclusion, the Court of Appeal bench stated in its judgment that the charges brought by the prosecution against the defendant had been proven beyond reasonable doubt before the High Court, and therefore, the defendant’s appeal was dismissed.
