Dodanduuwa Waduge Kelum Indika Sampath Vs. Officer in Charge – Police Narcotics Bureau and others – CPA 35/2020-2020

In Officer in Charge, Police Narcotics Bureau, Colombo 01 and Hon. Attorney-General v. Dodanduuwa Waduge Kelum Indika Sampath, the court addressed whether a revision application to set aside the High Court of Panadura’s bail order should be upheld on the basis of exceptional circumstances in a narcotics case. It was held that the revised order granting bail was justified due to procedural irregularities concerning the search, the absence of exclusive possession linking the petitioner to the contraband, and the High Court’s failure to properly consider exceptional circumstances. The principle reaffirmed is that revisionary jurisdiction may be exercised in instances of manifest procedural irregularities and insufficient judicial consideration of exceptional facts. Reliance was placed on the