Wickramasinghe vs. Attorney General and Another – sllr 2010 volume 1 page 141

In the case between Wickramasinghe (the appellant/accused) and the Attorney General, the court addressed the application of the Bail Act concerning the maximum period a suspect or accused person can be remanded. It was determined that, under the Bail Act, a suspect to whom the Act applies may be held on remand for a maximum of one year unless the Attorney General applies under Section 17, in which event the period may extend to two years, and not beyond. The ruling emphasized that remand should not be used as a means of punishment and reaffirmed the principle that bail is the rule, with refusal as the exception, placing central importance on the individual’s rights. This judgment was based on a detailed consideration of Sections 14, 16, and 17 of the Bail Act, reinforcing the legislative i