COLOMBO — 1951 · Unsolved Case
The Sathasivam Murder Case
On 9 October 1951 at Horton Place, Colombo, Anandam, wife of Ceylon's celebrated cricketer Mahadevan Sathasivam, was found dead at her home. The marriage was troubled and she had filed for divorce shortly before. Sathasivam was charged with her murder. The jury trial at the Supreme Court of Ceylon lasted 58 days; the defence was led by the noted lawyer and politician Colvin R. de Silva, and Edinburgh forensic professor Sir Sydney Smith testified for the defence. After about an hour's deliberation the jury unanimously acquitted him. Who killed her was never legally established. The case is still debated over police evidence-gathering methods.
- Date
- 1951
- Place
- Western Province, Sri Lanka, Colombo, LK
- Category
- Unsolved Case
- Case Status
- Unsolved
- Coordinates
- 6.9105, 79.8685 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 6 September 1951Anandam Sathasivam filed for divorce.
- 9 October 1951She was found dead at her home in Colombo.
- October 1951Sathasivam was arrested.
- 1953After a 58-day jury trial he was unanimously acquitted.
Sources
- The Sunday Times Sri Lanka — Three-act tragedy sundaytimes.lk ↗
- The Sunday Times Sri Lanka — How police manipulated evidence sundaytimes.lk ↗
- Wikipedia — Mahadevan Sathasivam en.wikipedia.org ↗
- The Sunday Times Sri Lanka
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
Related Cases
More cases from Colombo
More cases from the 1950s
Categories
Collections
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.