Buwaneswaran Rajeevan vs. E.M.S. Edirisinghe et al. – CA BAL/20/2022-2022

In the case between Buwaneswaran Rajeevan (Petitioner) and E.M.S. Edirisinghe, Ujith M.P. Liyanage, Manoj Ranagala, C.D. Wickramaratne, and the Attorney General (Respondents), the court addressed whether the suspect should be granted bail under Section 15B of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as amended by Act No. 12 of 2022, after nearly two years of detention without indictment or the commencement of trial. It was held that the lack of indictment, the absence of progress toward trial, and the State’s decision not to oppose bail satisfied the legislative requirements for bail, emphasizing the statutory intention to restrict the use of the PTA to “very exceptional circumstances.” The judgment relied on the amended PTA provisions, relevant case law, and Parliamentary intent, stressing