Kelaniya Sheeladassi Himi alias Haduwala Dewage Hashan Hemaratne Vs The Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC/187/23-2025

The case between Kelaniya Sheeladassi Himi alias Haduwala Dewage Hashan Hemaratne (Appellant) and the Hon. Attorney General (Respondent) addressed the issue of whether the evidence, particularly the testimony of the key prosecution witness, was sufficiently reliable to sustain a conviction for grave sexual abuse. It was held that the inconsistencies in the accounts provided by the victim created reasonable doubt regarding the accused’s guilt, necessitating acquittal. This decision reaffirms the principle that a conviction in criminal proceedings must rest on proof beyond reasonable doubt, particularly where the complainant’s testimony forms the core of the prosecution case. The judgment relied on established standards of criminal proof and emphasized the importance of the credibility of ev