Wickramasinghe Mary Reeeta Airangani Perera vs Officer-in-Charge Maritime Unit, Crime Investigations Department, Colombo 12 – CA PHC APN 124/2013-2014

In Wickramasinghe Mary Reeeta Airangani Perera v. Officer-in-Charge, Maritime Unit, Crime Investigations Department, Colombo 12, and Hon. Attorney General, the court addressed whether the suspect, Wisidagamage Don Suresh, charged under Section 45(c) of the Immigration and Emigration Act, should be released on bail following an extended period of remand custody. The court determined that, given the suspect’s detention had exceeded the statutory minimum sentence for the offence, such prolonged remand amounted to “exceptional circumstances” warranting revision of the High Court’s prior refusal of bail. The principle reaffirmed is that extended detention beyond the statutory minimum can justify bail as an exceptional ground. Reliance was placed on the relevant statutory provisions and consider