Mr. Ranasinghe made these remarks during a press conference titled “Two Years of Progress and Advancement” at the Presidential Media Centre yesterday (17).
He emphasized the ministry’s pivotal role in drafting laws across various ministries. He noted that the Department of Legal Draftsman prepared 273 drafts in 2022 and 299 drafts in 2023, encompassing all three languages.
Secretary to the Ministry of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reform, Mr. M. N. Ranasinghe further commented said,
“The Ministry of Justice, Prison Affairs, and Constitutional Reforms has made significant progress in legal reforms over the past two years.
This period will be remembered as the time where the largest number of legal reforms were 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 Ministry of Justice plays a major role in drafting laws for every ministry. Consequently, the Department of Legal Draftsman prepared 273 draft laws in 2022 and 299 in 2023, in all three languages, for other ministries.
By making the judicial system more efficient, people’s cases can be resolved quickly. This allows property related to litigation to be utilized 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 Sectorial 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.
Digitization of the judicial system has been identified as a major solution. Accordingly, digitization 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.
During this period, the number of courtrooms in the Supreme Court was increased from 3 to 5, and the number of courtrooms in the Court of Appeal was increased from 5 to 10. It should also be mentioned that digitization has been introduced in the Supreme Court, providing great convenience to citizens, including lawyers.
Getting to the top of the Ease of Doing Business Index is crucial for attracting foreign investments. Four Commercial High Courts have been established in the Western Province to resolve commercial disputes, and all arrangements have been made to establish more Commercial High Courts. Additionally, to address the new investment landscape created by the port city project, necessary legal reforms are underway to establish an investment court to quickly resolve investor disputes.
An Enforcing Contract Task Force is also being implemented to build a favourable investment environment.
The amendment to the Code of Civil Procedure in 2023 introduced the pre-trial conference system, enabling quicker trials. In the future, pre-trial hearings are also planned to be conducted swiftly under separate judges.
It should be noted that nearly 30% of the cases piled up in the district courts are money-related cases. To reduce the number of financial cases coming to the courts, the financial limit of the conciliation boards was raised to Rs. 1 million.
In 2022, the Ministry introduced a significant change to the judicial structure by establishing small claims courts, where financial disputes up to Rs. 2 million can be referred. Since these courts follow streamlined procedures, financial disputes can be resolved very quickly.
Currently, separate Small Claims Courts are functioning in Colombo, Kandy, and Matale. In the future, the establishment of these small claims courts in other areas will be facilitated. Until then, this judicial procedure will be implemented in the district courts.
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 Medavachchiya, Kahtagasdigiliya, Nochchiyagama, Kalavanchikudi, Narammala and Kalawana. Additionally, several new courts were established over the past two years.
Moreover, the process of settling disputes outside of court has been strengthened. It is noteworthy that Sri Lanka’s dispute settlement rate is almost 70%, which has received international recognition.
We have taken necessary steps to strengthen the institutions under the Ministry of Justice, including the Attorney General’s Department, the Department of Legal Draftsman, the Department of Government Analyst, and the National Authority for The Protection of Victims of Crimes and Witnesses, to ensure the effective administration of justice for the public.
In 2023 alone, the Sri Lanka Legal Aid Commission provided services to 182,579 people.
The Office of National Unity and Reconciliation, the Office of Missing Persons and the Office of Reparations are working towards creating a Sri Lankan nation that respects national identity, treats every citizen equally and upholds peace. The Ministry will implement the necessary legal amendments and provide all required guidelines.”
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