News
Appeal Court President tenders his resignation
Court of Appeal President Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne, against whom the government had been preparing to initiate an impeachment motion, has submitted his resignation to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Following his resignation, the government has decided to halt the impeachment motion that was intended to remove Justice Karunaratne. He has informed President Dissanayake that his resignation will take effect on February 1, 2025.
Justice Karunaratne was originally set to retire on June 16, 2025, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 63 for Appeal Court judges.
Earlier, reports indicated that the government was planning to pursue an impeachment motion against him, allegedly due to concerns about his recent performance.
Karunaratne began his judicial career as a magistrate and rose to become President of the Court of Appeal. He had been recommended for appointment to the Supreme Court by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe. However, the Constitutional Council rejected the recommendation, and a subsequent fundamental rights petition challenging this decision was filed in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court dismissed the petition in December last year.
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been granted at their meeting held on 19.05.2025 in order to introduce amendments to the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017 including the proposed tax revisions to enhance the tax structure paving way for state financial integrity based on revenue.
Accordingly, the revised draft bill has been prepared by the legal draftsman and clearance of the Attorney General has been received.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for
the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Policy Planning and Economic Development to publish the aforementioned draft bill in the government gazette notification and subsequently, forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
The National Mineral Policy was prepared for the first time in the year 1999, and the aforementioned policy has been amended in 2023 to cover matters such as preparing an updated data system related to mineral resources, adding value to the export of minerals, encouraging mineral-related industrialists, extracting mineral resources and managing the environment sustainably, and resolving the issues related to the ownership of the land arising in extracting mineral resources.
The revised National Mineral Policy has been reupdated in line with the manifesto “A Sustainable Resource Utilization – Generation of the Highest Benefit” under the policy statement of the current government” A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life.”
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution presented by the Minister of Industries and
Entrepreneurship to implement the so-formulated “National Mineral Policy—2026.”
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Amendment of the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017
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Ten new buses with facilities for people with special needs
Ghosts of 2016 writ large as England, West Indies meet again
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