Wijjapathiyalage Piyasena vs The Officer in Charge Criminal Investigations Department – CA CPA/0056/2023-2023

In the case between Wijjapathiyalage Piyasena (petitioner) and the Officer in Charge of the Criminal Investigations Department and others (respondents), the court addressed the issue of whether the refusal of bail to the petitioner’s son, Wijjapathiyalage Danushka Kelum Prabodhana Mudannayake, on charges of violent conduct and ragging at Kelaniya University, was properly grounded under the statutory framework. It was held that the High Court’s order refusing bail lacked sufficient reasoning as mandated by section 14 of the Bail Act and failed to justify continued remand. The court reaffirmed the principle that bail refusal must be reasoned and based strictly on enumerated grounds within the Bail Act. Reliance was placed on the statutory guidelines under sections 9, 14, 15, 16, and 17 of th