Kadurupokuna Wanni Arachchige Pradeep Kumara v. The Officer in Charge Police Station, Sooriyawewa – CA BAL/45/2021-2021

In The Officer in Charge, Police Station, Sooriyawewa v. Kadurupokuna Wanni Arachchige Pradeep Kumara and others, the court addressed whether bail under Section 10(1)(a) of the Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crimes and Witnesses Act No. 4 of 2015 should be granted due to the suspect’s prolonged remand period, despite the State’s contention that no “exceptional circumstances” existed. It was held that a remand period exceeding 20 months without the commencement of trial constitutes an “exceptional circumstance” sufficient to fulfill the statutory requirement for the grant of bail. The principle reaffirmed that “exceptional circumstances” are fact-dependent and undefined by statute, with case-specific delays potentially satisfying the threshold. The decision emphasized the import