The appellate court issued this order after ruling that the testimony given by the underage child, who was the alleged victim in the case, contained severe contradictions, rendering his statements highly unreliable.
The initial accusations were leveled against Ven. Seethawaka Soratha Thero, who was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy in March 2016 within the residential premises of a temple. Following a lengthy trial regarding the incident, the Avissawella High Court had previously found the monk guilty and sentenced him accordingly.
However, a two-judge bench of the Court of Appeal pointed out that the High Court’s verdict was unacceptable due to deep inconsistencies and variations in the child’s account of how the incident transpired. The entire foundation of the prosecution's case rested heavily on the child's testimony, which claimed that he was called inside the temple premises while walking nearby.
During the appeal hearing, defense counsel representing the accused monk presented evidence demonstrating substantial discrepancies between the child’s courtroom testimony and the initial statements he gave to both the police and the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) days after the incident. In its judgment, the Court of Appeal noted that the child’s failure to accurately recall even the basic backdrop of the incident raises grave doubts regarding the credibility of the overall allegations.
Furthermore, the Court re-emphasized the established legal precedent that it is unlawful to convict a person solely on the uncorroborated testimony of a single witness who provides conflicting information about the same event at different times. Consequently, the Court of Appeal completely quashed the 10-year rigorous imprisonment and compensation order against Ven. Seethawaka Soratha Thero, and directed the Court Registrar to immediately inform the Avissawella High Court to implement the decision.
