Daluwathumulla Gamage Neil Nandana vs. Officer In-Charge Special Unit Criminal Investigations Department – CA BAL 0094/2022-2022

In the case between the 28th suspect (petitioner) and the Officer In-Charge, Special Unit, Criminal Investigations Department, the Attorney General’s Department, and other state respondents, the court addressed the grant of bail under Section 83(2) of the amended Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. The application centered on whether prolonged remand and the nature of evidence constituted “exceptional circumstances” justifying bail, considering grave charges of large-scale trafficking of narcotics and possession of illegal firearms. It was held that the circumstances did not meet the threshold for exceptional grounds, thereby refusing bail. The principle reaffirmed is that, in cases involving serious drug and firearms offenses, considerable remand periods alone do not necessarily