Rankiran Pedige Karunawathie vs Officer-in-Charge, Police Station, Madampe – CA BAL/51/2021-2021

In the case between Rankiran Pedige Karunawathie (Petitioner, on behalf of the suspect Rajapaksha Pedige Darshana Ruwan Kumara) and the Officer-in-Charge, Police Station Madampe, and the Hon. Attorney General, the court addressed the issue of whether bail should be granted to a suspect who had been in remand for an extended period without judicial proceedings, under Section 10(1)(a) of the Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Act No. 4 of 2015. It was held that exceptional delay in conducting legal proceedings, even in the presence of a criminal history and pending cases, justified the grant of bail subject to stringent conditions. The principle reaffirmed was that while the protection of victims and witnesses is essential, the rights of suspects demand considerat