Themuni Dewage Priyankara alias Sampath vs. The Officer in Charge, Police Narcotics Bureau – CA BAL/87/23-2023

In the case between the Petitioner (applying for bail on behalf of Themuni Dewage Priyankara alias Sampath) and the State, the court addressed whether exceptional circumstances existed to justify granting bail to a suspect charged under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act No. 41 of 2022. It was held that neither the alleged family hardships nor the delay in filing the indictment met the statutory threshold of exceptional circumstances required for bail in drug trafficking offences. The principle reaffirmed that the burden for bail under section 83(1) of the Act is stringent, and mere procedural delays do not satisfy the legal exception. The decision relied on established appellate precedents interpreting “exceptional circumstances” and the specific statutory scheme regul