Jeyaratnam Sri Ranga vs. The Officer in Charge, Division Crime Detective Branch, Vavuniya – CA BAL/319/23-2023

In the case between the Officer in Charge, Division Crime Detective Branch, Vavuniya, and the Attorney General, and Jeyaratnam Sri Ranga, the court addressed whether a bail application filed under section 10 of the repealed Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crimes and Witnesses Act No. 4 of 2015 remains valid following the enactment of the new Act No. 10 of 2023. It was held that bail applications are now governed by section 24 of Act No. 10 of 2023, and the exclusive jurisdiction for granting bail in such matters lies with the Magistrate’s Court, not the Court of Appeal. The holding reaffirmed the principle that legislative amendments affecting procedural rights are to be followed as per the statutory framework in force at the time of adjudication. This decision relied on the tra