Don Shantha vs. Attorney General – sllr 2012 volume 2 page 330

In the case of Don Shantha (Accused Appellant) vs. Attorney General, the court examined whether convictions for rape and kidnapping could be sustained solely on uncorroborated evidence. It was held that reliance on uncorroborated testimony of the prosecutrix posed inherent risks and did not provide a sufficient basis for conviction in the absence of supporting, independent evidence. The principle reaffirmed is that corroborative evidence in sexual offence cases is essential to mitigate the possibility of wrongful conviction, given the potential for inconsistencies or false allegations. The decision referred to authorities including Sunil v. Attorney General, Gurcharan Singh v. State of Haryana, Bhoginbhai Hirijibhai v. State of Gujarat, and Premasiri v. Queen, with the appeal allowed and t