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Prof. Udagama raises alarm over possible govt. abuse of newly amended CPC

Published

2 years ago

2024/07/27

Prof. Deepika Udagama

There are legitimate fears that the government will weaponise the increased fines for election-related offences, to harass their political opponents, Head of the Department of Law, University of Peradeniya, Prof. Deepika Udagama, told The Island.

The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill gazetted on 19 July 2024 has significantly increased fines related to election related offences.

The amendments to Section 169E have significantly increased fines for various election-related offenses. The fine for “bribery by treating” has been raised from 200 rupees to 750,000 rupees, and for “bribery in connection with an election,” it has increased from 500 rupees to 1,000,000 rupees. Similarly, Section 169F now imposes a higher fine for “undue influence at an election,” increasing it from 500 rupees to 100,000 rupees, while the fine for “personation at an election” has been raised from 300 rupees to 100,000 rupees.

“These changes were necessary because the existing laws were outdated, and the fines for election-related offenses were insignificant,” she said. “However, these new fines could be weaponised by the government against their opponents. The issue lies not with the law itself, but with its implementation. We need to closely monitor whether these laws are enforced in a politicised manner.”

Prof. Udagama noted that the government has recently pushed through several amendments to existing laws. She expressed serious concern over the hasty changes and the introduction of new laws with minimal deliberation.

Prof. Udagama mentioned that 22A was gazetted on July 18, 2024. She clarified that technically, the publication of the gazette has no legal impact on the upcoming presidential election.

“However,” she added, “this situation breeds mistrust and suspicion. It could create chaos if deliberations on 22A proceed and the court determines that it requires a referendum to become law. A referendum is also an election. Can we realistically hold two elections so close to each other? This raises the question: why did the government introduce 22A? Politically and legally, we see this as a mischievous act.”

Prof. Udagama noted that a few months ago, the General Secretary of the United National Party (UNP) suggested that the President should be granted a few additional years in office. She also mentioned that in the past two weeks, two individuals have filed fundamental rights petitions with the Supreme Court, urging a delay in the presidential election.

“The Supreme Court ordered the first petitioner to pay 100,000 rupees in legal costs. Recognizing this trend, the Court increased the legal costs for the second petitioner to 500,000 rupees. Amidst this, the government introduced 22A. It is evident to everyone that this a is part of a larger process,” she said.

“19A re-established the independent commissions, which can be powerful forces for good if they are staffed with independent and respected individuals. Among these, the Elections Commission holds a special significance,” she said.

“The government cannot conduct an election themselves since they are participants. Therefore, the Elections Commission serves as the backbone of the country’s democracy. There is public suspicion about why the commission is delaying the election announcement. Although the commission has provided several reasons for the delay, people need assurance that there are no external influences affecting its decisions,” she said.

Prof. Udagama expressed concerns about state administration regarding the way 22A was gazetted. She noted that the Bill was presented to the Cabinet by the President and the Minister of Justice. The Minister initially declared that 22A would not be gazetted until after the presidential election, but the President instructed the Bill to be gazetted the following day.

“A constitutional amendment is a serious matter. The way the Bill was gazetted suggests a lack of consensus within the government,” she said. Prof. Udagama highlighted that Sri Lankans believe it is the executive that decides which elections to hold.

“The President claimed there was no money for local council elections, so they couldn’t be held. Now, suddenly, we can hold the presidential election because Ranil Wickremesinghe says there is money. Election decisions should not depend on the whims of an individual. People now perceive the Elections Commission as being beholden to the President, and this is not a good sign,” she said. (RK)

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Development activities in schools within plantation areas should be carried out in coordination with District Coordinating Committees – PM

Published

5 hours ago

2026/02/20

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that development activities in schools within plantation areas should be carried out in coordination with District Coordinating Committees, and that further recruitments to the teaching service will be undertaken in the future according to existing vacancies.

The Prime Minister made these remarks at a meeting held on Thursday [19 February] at the Parliament of Sri Lanka, attended by officials of the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education and the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, convened to identify solutions to issues affecting schools within plantation areas.

During the meeting, special attention was drawn to identifying schools in plantation areas; improving infrastructure, sanitary facilities and security within those schools; confirming lands of school premises; filling existing vacancies of teachers, principals and sports instructors; and providing transportation facilities of schools within the plantation areas.

Officials also drew the Prime Minister’s attention to challenges faced by students in Grade 13 in studying science and mathematics streams in estate schools, as well as issues related to language. The need for Tamil-medium support in teacher-training programmes was also emphasized during the meeting.

The Prime Minister stressed that resolving issues related to lands belonging to the schools in plantation areas require collection of data at district-level, and that the suitability of each school site should be considered when relocating or regularizing schools, taking into account the impacts caused by Cyclone Ditwah. She instructed officials to formulate an efficient mechanism to collect the necessary data.

She further noted that schools within plantation areas are government schools and that due consideration should be given to how these schools are identified and referred to in the future.

The Prime Minister instructed officials to keep District Coordinating Committees informed and to collaborate with them in carrying out development activities related to estate schools, emphasizing that this would enable closer monitoring of school development initiatives.

She also expressed confidence that the planned recruitment of 23,000 teachers would help address the existing teacher shortages to a considerable extent, and stated that further annual recruitment would be undertaken in the future to fill remaining vacancies.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources, Ramalingam Chandrasekar; Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr. Madhura Senevirathne; Deputy Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, Sundaralingam Pradeep; Members of Parliament; and officials of the relevant ministries.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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CEB trade unions hint at stringent industrial action after talks fail

Published

20 hours ago

2026/02/20

Thilina Walpola

Trade unions of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), backed by the powerful Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union, have warned of accelerated trade union action following the collapse of crucial discussions held on Monday (16) with the CEB Chairman, who also serves as Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy.

The issue is expected to take centre stage at today’s press conference, with unions signalling that a token strike, possibly a 12-hour countrywide action, could be staged next week unless authorities urgently intervene.

The meeting earlier this week ended without what union representatives described as any “positive or constructive outcome.”

Trade union leaders expressed disappointment that their key concerns had not been substantively addressed during discussions with the Chairman.

At the heart of the dispute is the unions’ demand for a collective agreement in accordance with Section 18(j) of the Sri Lanka Electricity Act No. 36 of 2024. Trade union representatives maintain that the law provides for structured engagement between management and employees and that a formal collective agreement is necessary to ensure transparency and industrial stability within the institution.

The unions also submitted what they termed a reasonable proposal to safeguard the CEB Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), voicing concerns over the long-term security of workers’ retirement benefits.

However, according to trade union sources, those proposals were not adequately taken up during the discussions.

A senior electrical engineer told The Island that further internal consultations were being held to decide the next course of action. “There is growing frustration among employees. The issues raised are fundamental and relate directly to statutory compliance and the financial security of staff,” he said.

The Island learns that unless there is meaningful engagement from the authorities, the proposed token strike could mark the beginning of more stringent industrial action.

Energy sector observers warn that any escalation of trade union unrest at the CEB could have serious implications for the country’s power sector stability at a critical time.Further developments are expected following today’s media briefing.

By Ifham Nizam

News

PM reveals allowances and perks available to MPs

Published

20 hours ago

2026/02/20

Thilina Walpola

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya yesterday (19) revealed allowances and benefits provided to Members of Parliament at present.She did so while responding to a question raised by Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Chaminda Wijesiri.

According to the disclosure:

An MP receives a monthly allowance of Rs. 54,285, with an entertainment allowance of Rs. 1,000 per month.

Driver allowance is Rs. 3,500 per month; however, if the MP is provided with a driver by the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, no driver allowance is paid.

Telephone allowance is Rs. 50,000, while transport allowance is Rs. 15,000 per month.

Office allowance amounts to Rs. 100,000.

MPs attending parliamentary sessions receive Rs. 2,500 per day, while Rs. 2,500 per day are given for MPs attending committee meetings on non-sitting days.

Meanwhile, Members of Parliament also receive a fuel allowance based on the distance from their elected district to Parliament.

For national list MPs, this is calculated as 419.76 liters of diesel per month, paid at the approved market rate on the first day of each month.Dr. Amarasuriya also emphasised that these allowances are structured to cover official duties and transportation costs.