Gunasekera and Others vs Ravi Karunanayake – sllr 2005 volume 2 page 018

In the case between Gunasekera and Others (Party A) and RAVL Karunanayake (Party B), the court addressed the applicability of the Bail Act to offences under the Offences against Public Property Act, given the latter provides its own bail conditions. It was held that the Bail Act applies even where the Offences against Public Property Act prescribes specific bail provisions, reaffirming that general bail law can operate in conjunction with special legislation unless expressly excluded. This decision relied on the interpretation of Section 3 of the Bail Act, comparative analysis of the Sinhala and English texts, legislative history, Hansard debates, and prior case law, emphasizing the importance of harmonizing statutory texts and upholding the power of the Magistrate to grant anticipatory ba