Wickkrama Arrachchige Nisal Jayasanka vs Officer-In-Charge, Police Station, Wariyapola and others – CA BAL 0009/2021-2021

In the case between Wickkrama Arrachchige Nisal Jayasanka (Petitioner) and the Officer-in-Charge, Police Station, Wariyapola and the Hon. Attorney General (Respondents), the court addressed whether the Petitioner, accused of violating the Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Act, No. 04 of 2015, was entitled to be released on bail under Section 10(1)(a) of the same Act and the Bail Act No. 30 of 1997. The application centered on assessing if “exceptional circumstances” existed to justify bail, particularly regarding claims of prolonged remand and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The court held that the High Court satisfied statutory inquiry requirements and that neither the length of remand nor pandemic-related arguments constituted exceptional circumstances w