Siriwardena Kankanamge Manjula Kumara vs. The Hon. Attorney General – CA/HCC/0048/2023-2024

In the case between the Attorney General’s Department (Complainant-Respondent) and Manjula Kumara (Accused-Appellant), the court addressed the evaluation of medical evidence versus eyewitness testimony in a prosecution for rape under section 364(1) of the Penal Code. It was held that minor inconsistencies in the victim’s evidence do not necessarily undermine the credibility of the core factual allegations, provided the overall evidence remains consistent and reliable. The principle reaffirmed is that appellate courts should respect the discretion of trial courts in evaluating such evidence unless a significant misdirection or miscarriage of justice is evident. Reliance was placed on established judicial precedents regarding the treatment of testimonial inconsistencies, and the judgment emp