24/06/2024
𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐋’𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝟕𝟎 % – 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲
𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆:
Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Ministry Secretary M. N. Ranasinghe on Monday said the dispute settling process outside of Court has been strengthened and the country’s dispute settlement rate is almost 70 percent, which has received international recognition.
Speaking at a press conference at the Presidential Media Centre, Ranasinghe said the Judicial Zoning Committee has proposed many new Courts to facilitate access to justice for rural people.
Accordingly, a Tourism Court was established in the Morawewa area, and the other recommendations of the committee’s report will be implemented in the future. Tourist Courts and Magistrate Courts were promoted in Medawachchiya, Kahatagasdigiliya, Nochchiyagama, Kalavanchikudi, Narammala and Kalawana. Additionally, several new Courts were established over the past two years.
The process of settling disputes outside of Court has been strengthened. It is noteworthy that Sri Lanka’s dispute settlement rate is almost 70 percent, which has received international recognition.
M. N. Ranasinghe stated that the period from 2022 to 2024 will be historically significant for the highest number of law reforms in Sri Lanka. He highlighted that since 2022, 59 legal reforms have been passed in Parliament, with an additional 7 drafts and 44 legal amendments slated for future approval.
He emphasised the Ministry’s pivotal role in drafting laws across various Ministries. He noted that the Legal Draftsman Department prepared 273 drafts in 2022 and 299 drafts in 2023, encompassing all three languages.
He added that the Ministry has made significant progress in legal reforms over the past two years and this period will be remembered as the time where the largest number of legal reforms was implemented.
“Within the scope of our Ministry, 59 legal reforms have been passed in Parliament: 29 in 2022, 17 in 2023, and 13 so far in 2024. Additionally, seven more drafts are set to be adopted by Parliament soon. It is also important to note that work on 44 other crucial legal amendments is nearly complete. The Justice Ministry plays a major role in drafting laws for every Ministry. Consequently, the Legal Draftsman Department prepared 273 draft laws in 2022 and 299 in 2023, in all three languages, for other Ministries”, he said.
By making the judicial system more efficient, people’s cases can be resolved quickly. This allows property related to litigation to be utilised for economic development and fosters a favourable investment environment. Clearly, there is a direct relationship between delays in the legal system and economic growth.
According to the report issued by the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Legal Affairs in 2017, it typically takes about 17 years to conclude a criminal case. Various studies indicate that it can take more than a generation to complete land, partition, and testamentary cases. We have planned the necessary activities to change this situation.
He added that digitisation of the judicial system has been identified as a major solution. Accordingly, digitisation and a large number of reforms have already been carried out in the Ministry as well as in the judicial sector.
After 42 years, the amendment of the Constitution increased the number of Supreme Court judges by 14. Despite the difficult economic situation, 76 judicial officers were recruited on two occasions in the last two years. Additionally, 34 individuals were promoted to High Court Judges on two occasions. This allowed for the increase in the number of Courts and the introduction of new Courts.
Additional Secretary (Legal) Piyumanthi Peiris said that the option to conduct proceedings entirely in English has been introduced in the Commercial High Court. Online hearings are also currently under way and a new arbitration law has been submitted to the Attorney General for approval, aiming to resolve cases outside of traditional Court settings.
“The past two years have been characterised by numerous legislative actions, including the enactment of new laws and updates to existing ones. In the 21st amendment to the Constitution, we uphold the positive aspects of the 20th Amendment. Notably, through the 21st Amendment, all independent commissions were reinstated, addressing previous challenges effectively. This includes provisions for prosecuting the wrongdoings made by the President, requiring Parliamentary approval for high Government positions and seeking Constitution Council’s approval for appointing the Central Bank Governor.
Significant Bills such as the Anti-Corruption Bill and the Hydrology Bill have also been introduced. As per the amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, possession of more than 5 grams of ‘ICE’ drug carries severe penalties, including death or life imprisonment.
The recently enacted Regulation of Election Expenditure Bill mandates that every candidate contesting elections must report their expenditures within 21 days of the release of election results, marking a significant positive development.
Additional Secretary (Legal Reforms) Krishanthi Meegahapola said: “We are actively working on introducing Court Community Platform software that will connect all institutions involved in the judicial sector. Currently, we are implementing recommendations from the Judicial Service Commission with additional technical support. The digitisation of all Courts in Sri Lanka is planned in three phases, with financial support from the European Union and technical assistance from the United Nations Development Programme. Pilot projects for this initiative are already underway.
The process of applying for bail and providing bail has also been streamlined through an electronic system. Digital display boards also have been installed in several Courts in Colombo to manage the crowd in courtrooms effectively. An electronic payment system has also been introduced, with plans to transition to an online payment system in the next stage.”
Additional Secretary (Engineering) S. A. K. Subasinghe stated: “In the fiscal year 2022, our Ministry was
allocated Rs. 4,862 million, followed by Rs. 2,748 million in 2023 and Rs. 2,743 million in 2024. With these allocations, we have successfully opened three Court complexes in Ratnapura, Welimada and Teldeniya.
Last year, a double apartment complex was constructed in Kurunegala. Additionally, renovation work has modernised the Judicial Service Commission building. Construction is underway for the Galle Court Complex, with plans to complete the first phase of a 16-floor Colombo 12 Court Complex spanning six floors.
Government Analyst D. Seneviratne said: “If we measure the progress of our department by the number of reports issued, the figures for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 indicate significant growth. In 2022, we received 42,895 productions and issued 40,756 reports. By 2023, these numbers increased to 58,886 productions received and 53,253 reports issued.
This represents a 37 percent increase in production receipts and a 30 percent increase in report issuances compared to 2022.”
Prisons’ Commissioner General H.M.T.N. Upuldeniya stated: “The prison reform process has indeed been successful over the past two years. Various long-term and short-term measures have been implemented to address overcrowding in prisons. Plans are underway to complete the relocation of Dumbara, Jaffna and Angunakolapelessa prisons within the next two years. Additionally, preliminary work for the evacuation of the Colombo prison has already been completed.”
Additional Secretaries Piyumanthi Peiris, Krishanthi Meegahapola, Director General of the Office for Reparation M. J. Krishnamoorthy, Commissioner General of Prisons H.M.T.N. Upuldeniya, Government Analyst D. Seneviratne, Additional Secretary (Engineering) S. A. K. Subasinghe were present.
https://www.dailynews.lk/2024/06/19/local/571606/international-acclaim-for-sls-dispute-settlement-rate-of-70-ministry-secretary/
