Amarasinghe Pedige Rasika Tharangani vs. Hon. Attorney General – CA PHC/APN/30/2022-2023

Brief
In the matter of Amarasinghe Pedige Rasika (petitioner, on behalf of Balasinghe Pedige Samantha—the suspect) versus the Hon. Attorney General and the Officer-In-Charge of Diulapitiya Police Station, the court examined whether exceptional circumstances warranted the granting of bail under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, given the seriousness of alleged drug offences and significant administrative delays. The holding determined that substantial delays in filing the indictment and prolonged remand, combined with personal hardship and family circumstances of the suspect, satisfied the threshold of exceptional circumstances justifying bail. Statutory interpretation of the bail provision and precedents such as Nasher v. Director of Public Prosecutions and Ramu Thamodaramp