Category: Legal
Government Expedites House Arrest Legislation to Address Prison Overcrowding
At its meeting on August 3, 2026, the Cabinet approved a proposal submitted by the Minister of Justice and National Integration to instruct the Legal Draftsman to promptly finalize a draft bill introducing house arrest as an alternative to remand and imprisonment. The initiative follows a comprehensive review of earlier drafts—initially sanctioned under a June […]
Cabinet Approves Gazetting and Submission to Parliament of Key Judicial Reform Bills
Following initial Cabinet approval on July 27, 2026, approval has been granted to publish the Twenty-second Constitutional Amendment Bill and the Judiciary (Amendment) Bill in the Government Gazette and subsequently submit them to Parliament. Drafted by the Legal Draftsman and granted constitutional clearance by the Attorney General, the proposed legislation submitted by the Minister of […]
BASL Unanimously Passes Resolution Against Proposed Judges’ Retirement Age Amendment
A Special General Meeting of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) today unanimously passed a resolution strongly opposing proposed constitutional and statutory amendments to increase the retirement age of judges. The resolution follows the Cabinet of Ministers’ conditional approval on July 27, 2026, of a proposal submitted by the Minister of Justice and National […]
Cabinet Approves Move to Raise Judges’ Retirement Age as Part of Judicial Reform Package
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to raise the statutory retirement age of judges, as part of a broader package of draft amendments to the Constitution and the Judicature Act No. 2 of 1978. The decision was made at the Cabinet meeting held on July 27, 2026, and remains subject to final approval […]
Government Moves to Establish a Fair and Transparent Presidential Pardon System
The Ministry of Justice and National Integration has received a committee report recommending a more systematic, fair and transparent mechanism for granting presidential pardons to sentenced prison inmates, marking a key step in the government’s wider prison reform agenda. The report was formally handed over on Thursday (July 10) by retired Supreme Court Judge S. […]
Negombo Prison Temporarily Closed Following Emergency; Mahamodara and Old Bogambara Re-opened
Following an emergency incident on July 5 and 6, 2026, that left Negombo Prison severely damaged, the Ministry of Justice and National Integration has declared the site a crime scene and ordered its temporary closure. To facilitate ongoing investigations and subsequent renovations, inmates have been transferred to other facilities. To manage the resulting population shift […]
UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture Concludes Second Visit to Sri Lanka
The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) concluded its second visit to Sri Lanka on 24 June 2026. The visit took place from 15 to 24 June 2026. During the visit, the four-member delegation of the SPT met the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, and the Minister of […]
Rangita De Silva De Alwis Re-elected to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
Sri Lanka’s candidate Professor Rangita De Silva De Alwis was re-elected to the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) for a second consecutive term, 2027-2030, at the elections conducted during the 24th Meeting of the State Parties to the CEDAW Convention at the United Nations in New York on […]
Law Association for Asia & Pacific Sounds Alarm Over Proposed Changes to Sri Lankan Judicial Retirement Age
LAWASIA, the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific, has officially voiced grave concerns over the Sri Lankan government’s proposed constitutional amendment aimed at extending the retirement age of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges. In a formal statement released on June 26, 2026, the regional legal body warned that the ad hoc initiative […]
BASL Clarifies: No Official Representation Authorized for Arrested Lawyer
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has officially distanced itself from recent media reports suggesting it made legal representations on behalf of an attorney-at-law arrested by bribery investigators. In a clarification statement issued today, June 26, 2026, the BASL addressed reports surrounding a case at the Chief Magistrate’s Court of Colombo, where a lawyer […]
Memorandum of Understanding MOU Signing Ceremony between the Office on Missing Persons and the Bureau of Rehabilitation
The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) and the Bureau of Rehabilitation (BOR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 24 June 2026 to strengthen institutional cooperation in matters relating to missing persons. The OMP has previously entered into Memoranda of Understanding with several key state and international institutions, including the Human Rights Commission of Sri […]
An investigation is being carried out with regard to the activities of Kasagala Green Plantation, says CBSL
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has announced that it is conducting an investigation into the activities of Kasagala Green Plantation (Private) Limited (KGPL) under the provisions of the Finance Business Act, No. 42 of 2011 (FBA). This follows public statements made by Malwattage Ranjith Nandana Pieris, Director of KGPL, during an appearance on […]