Lekamwasam Liyanage Ajantha Kumara v. The Attorney General – CA 72/2014-2014

In Lekamwasam Liyanage Ajantha Kumara v. The Attorney General, the court addressed whether the conviction and sentence for rape should be upheld given concerns about the prosecutrix’s credibility, inconsistencies in the medical and testimonial evidence, inadequate consideration of the accused’s dock statement, and delay in reporting the incident. It was held that the conviction could not be sustained owing to substantial doubts in the prosecution’s case, including lack of independent corroboration and unresolved evidentiary contradictions. The principles from Section 364(3) of the Penal Code and established case law such as King v. Athukorale were applied, emphasizing the necessity for independent corroboration and judicial caution in cases of doubtful evidence. The appellate court set asi