Raigama Vithanage Chandrika Dias vs. Hon. Attorney General & other – CA PHC APN/109/21-2021

In the case between Raigama Vithanage Chandrika Dias (Petitioner) and the Hon. Attorney General and the Officer-in-Charge, Police Narcotic Bureau (Respondents), the court addressed whether the order of the High Court of Panadura, dated 17.09.2021, refusing bail to the suspect under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Act, should be set aside. The court held that the recovery of heroin from the suspect’s residence, based solely on a custodial statement (under Section 27(1) of the Evidence Ordinance), was insufficient to constitute adequate evidence for denying bail. It was reaffirmed that “exceptional circumstances” must be substantiated by clear, concrete evidence, not merely by recovery based on an accused’s statement in custody. The decision relied on established precedents, notably D