Agampodige Ramya Kumuduni vs Officer in Charge, Police Station, Katuwana – CA BAL/16/2020-2021

In the matter between Agampodige Ramya Kumuduni (petitioner) and the Officer in Charge, Police Station, Katuwana and others (respondents), the court addressed bail eligibility under Section 10 of the Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Act No. 4 of 2015. The case concerned allegations that the suspect-respondents threatened a complainant and her husband to induce withdrawal of a criminal complaint related to sexual assault and kidnapping. It was held that, given the unexplained delay in reporting the threat, the statutory requirement for prima facie evidence, and the protracted remand period of approximately eighteen months without indictment, continued detention was not justified. The principle that remanding must be supported by prima facie evidence and that pr