Veeravagu Sugandira Valli vs. Hon. Attorney General – CA BAL/125/2023-2024

In the case between Veeravagu Sugandira Valli (Petitioner) and the Hon. Attorney General, Officer-in-Charge (Police Narcotics Bureau), and Selliah Anandan (Respondents), the issue concerned the grant of bail under section 83(2) of the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act No. 41 of 2022 for an accused indicted for possession and trafficking of heroin. The application was evaluated on whether prolonged remand of over 43 months constituted “exceptional circumstances” sufficient to warrant bail. The court held that, given protracted custody, evidentiary delays, and comparative treatment of suspects, bail was appropriate subject to strict conditions, reaffirming the principle that judicial discretion must be exercised to balance individual liberty with the need to ensure public sa