Meegahapala Arachchige Asanka Prabath and Rankoth Pediya Durayalage Saman vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA 122-123/2017-2021

In the case between Meegahapala Arachchige Asanka Prabath and Rankoth Pediya Durayalage Saman (Accused-Appellants) and the Hon. Attorney General (Complainant-Respondent), the court addressed the sustainability of convictions for rape and abduction based on the uncorroborated testimony of the prosecutrix and the alleged failure to resolve contradictions between medical evidence and the prosecutrix’s account. It was determined that while corroboration of the prosecutrix’s testimony is not mandatory where credible evidence exists, the presence of inconsistencies and absence of corroborative medical evidence rendered the convictions for rape unsafe. The conviction and sentence for abduction were upheld, while the rape convictions were set aside. The legal principle reaffirmed is that, although