Shiyam v. Officer-in-Charge, Narcotics Bureau And Another – sllr 2006 volume 2 page 156

In the case between Shiyam (Plaintiff/Appellant) and the Officer-in-Charge, Narcotics Bureau and Another (Defendant/Respondent), the court addressed whether section 3(1) of the Bail Act, No. 30 of 1997, overrides the exclusive bail restrictions under section 83(1) of the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Act (as amended). The court held that the specific restriction on bail imposed by section 83(1) of the Poisons Act remains operative and is not superseded by the Bail Act, so bail may be granted only in exceptional circumstances as provided by the special statute. The core legal reasoning rested on legislative intent and statutory interpretation, concluding that the ejusdem generis rule does not expand the general bail provisions to override explicit exclusions. The decision reinforced th