PARLIAMENT

Eleven Bills and four annual reports considered were approved yesterday (22) at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice chaired by its Chair and the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, Hon. (Dr.) Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.

Thus, the Dangerous Animals Ordinance (Amendment) Bill proposes to increase the penalty from one thousand rupees to two hundred and fifty thousand and the Children and Young persons (Amendment) Bill amends the age of a person who shall be cited as a “child” from the age of sixteen years to the age of eighteen years was approved at the Committee.

Furthermore, Notaries Ordinance (Amendment) Bill, Wills Ordinance (Amendment) Bill, Powers of Attorney Ordinance (Amendment) Bill, Prevention of Frauds Ordinance (Amendment) bill, Civil Procedure Code (Amendment) Bill, Registration of Documents Ordinance (Amendment) Bill, Small Claims Courts’ Procedure Bill, High Court of Provisions (Special Provisions) (Amendment) Bill and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill also received the approval of the Committee to be presented in Parliament for the second reading.

In addition, the Annual Report of the Sri Lanka Judges’ Institute for the Year 2017, Annual Report of the National Authority for Protection of Victims of Crime and Witness for the Year 2020 and the Annual Reports of the Legal Aid Commission of Sri Lanka for the years 2019 and 2020 were also considered and approved.

State Minister Hon. Anuradha Jayaratne and Hon. Diana Gamage, Hon. Janaka Wakkumbura, Members of Parliament Hon. Chandima Weerakkody, Hon. M. S. Thowfeek, Hon. Charles Nirmalanathan, Hon. Premnath C. Dolawatte, Hon. Sudath Manjula, Hon. Upul Mahendra Rajapaksha and Officials were present at the Committee meeting held.