News
Issues over different laws will be resolved through new Constitution – Public Security Minister
Issues that had arisen over the quazi court system would be resolved through the new Constitution that would be formulated soon, Minister of Public Security, Sarath Weerasekera said yesterday, after taking part in an event at Sunethra Devi Pirivena, Pepiliyana.
Weerasekera said: “According to the current Constitution, these quazi courts are legal. There are many laws that have clauses that are against fundamental rights of the people. The current Constitution allows Muslim, Thesawalamai and Kandyan customary laws to exist alongside the general laws, this is against the concept of one country, one law. The new Constitution being drafted will help solve such problems.”
Meanwhile U. R. de Silva, PC, said that quazi courts were under the Judicial Services Commission and they played an important part in dealing with divorce and alimony issues of the Muslim community. “This is not a new system. Of course, there are issues with these courts and many Muslim women’s groups have proposed changes to the system. We must address some issues as regards these courts.”
There were newspaper advertisements last week announcing vacancies for a number of quazi courts across the country. This sparked fresh debate about those institutions.
Minister of Justice Ali Sabry had said that his ministry had nothing to do with the recruitment of quazis for the Muslim quazi court system. He said so, addressing the media in Colombo last week.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution forwarded by the Minister Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to appoint R. A. Chandana Saman Ranaweera Arachchi a special grade officer of Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) as the Commissioner
General of Lands.
Approval was granted at the cabinet meeting held on 05-08-2024 to resettle the unauthorized residents in the railway reserve from the Maligawatte Loco junction to Padukka railway station under the Colombo Suburban Railway Project.
Accordingly, resettlements in 694 housing units which were purchased from housing complexes owned by the Urban Development Authority have already been completed and further, 144 housing units are due
to be received from the Urban development Authority. In addition, a housing complex consisting of 120 housing units is being constructed on land in Kottawa, Malapalla area which is owned by the Railway Department for the resettlement of unauthorized residents in Maharagama, Homagama, Padukka area where there are no housing
schemes of the Urban Development Authority, and the constructions of that housing scheme is being completed at present.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Transport, Highways, Port, and Civil Aviation to transfer the land located in Kottawa, Marapalla, belonging to the Sri Lanka Railway Department, and the housing complex within the said land to the National Housing Development Authority as a free grant in terms of the provisions of Section 6(1) of the Government Land Ordinance and to implement the said program of providing the relevant deeds to the selected beneficiaries in such a way as not to burden them financially.
The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to appoint Dr. Mrs. E. R. S. P. Edirimanne serving as a special grade officer in Sri Lanka Agriculture Service in the post of Additional Secretary (Agri Technology) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation as the Commissioner General of Agriculture,
R A Chandana Saman Ranaweera Arachchi appointed as Commissioner General of Lands
Resettlement of unauthorized residents in Kelaniveli Railway Reserves
Dr. Mrs. E. R. S. P. Edirimanne appointed Commissioner General of Agriculture
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