Geekiyanage Leelawathie vs. Head Quarters Inspector, Officer in Charge, and Hon. Attorney General – CA BAL/19/21-2021

In Geekiyanage Leelawathie v. Head Quarters Inspector, Kalutara South Police Station and others, the court addressed whether suspects charged with intimidating a victim to return part of court-ordered compensation, in violation of the Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Act No. 4 of 2015, were entitled to bail under “exceptional circumstances” pursuant to section 10(1)(a) of the Act. It was held that the petitioners failed to establish circumstances of an exceptional nature, reaffirming the principle that bail under such statutory context requires a higher threshold, particularly in cases involving interference with the justice process. The decision relied on the specific statutory provisions of the Act and emphasized the importance of protecting judicial integri