Senerath Mohotige Prasanna Rohita Perera vs. The Attorney General – B/2763/04/2018-2023

In the case between Senerath Mohotige Dedunu Kumari Perera and the Attorney General’s Department, the court addressed the issue of whether the Accused, Senerath Mohotige Prasanna Rohita Perera, should be granted bail under Section 83 of the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (as amended by Act No.41 of 2022), in light of serious drug charges involving nearly 990.906 grams of heroin. It was held that the threshold for exceptional circumstances justifying bail was not met, reaffirming the principle that bail should not be granted in cases involving commercial quantities of dangerous drugs unless truly exceptional circumstances exist. This decision relied on the statutory requirements set by the amended Section 83, emphasizing that the gravity of the offence and absence of extraordi