Palliyage Piyadasa vs. Hon. The Attorney General – BAL/95/22-2023

In the case between Palliyage Piyadasa (on behalf of Palliyage Aruni Nadeeshika) and the Attorney General’s Department with the Officer in Charge, Colombo Crime Division, the court addressed the issue of granting bail under Section 83(2) of the Poison, Opium, and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance in the context of a commercial quantity heroin trafficking charge. It was held that, in the absence of exceptional circumstances, bail is not warranted for suspects charged with such grave offences. The principle reaffirmed is that statutory restrictions on bail under dangerous drugs legislation supersede constitutional considerations in the absence of truly exceptional facts. The decision relied upon the statutory language of the Drugs Ordinance and prior interpretations emphasizing the narrow scope for