Kanagaratnam Mariyadas v. Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC/0298/2019-2022

In the case between Kanagaratnam Mariyadas (Accused-Appellant) and the Hon. Attorney General, representing the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Complainant-Respondent), the court addressed the validity of a conviction for rape under section 364(2)(e) of the Penal Code. The core issues included the impact of delayed complaint, credibility of the prosecutrix, absence of corroboration, and whether the omission of the accused’s name in the first complaint vitiated the conviction. It was held that the explanations for delay were credible given the victim’s circumstances, that a conviction could be sustained on the testimony of a sole credible witness in sexual offences, and that the evidence—including prior identification and corroboration by other witnesses—supported the conviction.