News
NO attempts to scrap Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance- Sabry
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Justice Minister Ali Sabry yesterday said that he had no intention of amending the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance.
The Minister said that a number of people were accusing him of comparing that ordinance to a personal law and had equated it to the Muslim Marriages and Divorces Act (MMDA.)
“On 10 February 2021, Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera asked me in Parliament whether I agreed that Article 16.1 of the Constitution needed to be changed. This Article stipulates that all existing written and unwritten law shall be valid and operative notwithstanding any inconsistency with the Fundamental Rights Chapter of the Constitution.”
Sabry said that in his response to the Thera, he had highlighted that if Article 16.1 was changed in an ad hoc manner a number of special laws would be affected. Among such laws was the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance.
“Not only will personal laws be affected. If Article 16 is changed in a hurry a number of special laws won’t be valid anymore and when that happens the same people will blame me. Sri Lanka has a 2,500-year-old Buddhist heritage and there are many special laws that don’t cause any harm to others. Such laws don’t need to be changed.”
Therefore, there needed to be a careful study and lengthy discussions before article 16 was repealed, the Minister said, adding that amending laws took time and that was why there were delays in amending the MMDA.
“We all agree that marrying 12-year-old girls is bad and that 18 should be the minimum age of marriage. I believe that Muslim women should also sign in the marriage registry and that there should be gender equality in the MMDA. I have also proposed that face covering must not be allowed in public spaces. These have been sent to the Cabinet. But it takes time. We are working on amending the MMDA by a lot. That process is ongoing.”
The Ministry of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development has recommended the establishment of Sri Lankan Standards, i.e. the import testing methodology for imported tires used for passenger cars and pneumatic tires for three-wheelers with the aim of ensuring a fair competitive environment for local
manufactures and ensuring consumer safety and security.
Taking into the said recommendations, “Import and Export (control regulations N0.08 of the 2026)” has been enacted to amend the existing regulations by means of the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 2508/27 dated 2026-10-01, prescribing Sri Lanka standard 1212 for the import of passenger types (HS Code 4011.10.90) and Sri Lanka standard 1347 for the import of
pneumatic tires for three – wheeled vehicles (HS Code 4011.90.10).
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development to submit the aforementioned regulations to Parliament for approval.
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 02.06.2025 to introduce a new act to promote and providing legal provisions for facilitating the Public Private Joint Enterprises within Sri Lanka as well as the establishment of the National Agency for Public Private Partnership Joint Enterprises.
Accordingly, the Legal Draftsman has formulated the relevant draft bill and the Attorney General has given his clearance to the said draft bill.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to publish the said
draft bill in the government gazette notification and thereby submit it to the Parliament for its concurrence.
Regulation, development and control of indigenous medical sector in Sri Lanka comprised of Ayurvedha, Sidhdha, Unani, Local Therapies are carried out under the provisions of Ayurvedha Act No. 31 of 1961.
Although amendments were made to the act from time to time as per the requirements, the necessity of further amending the Ayurvedha Act has been identified to enable efficiently maintaining all activities of local medical field productively, further formalizing the regulation of the sector, taking actions to providing licenses applicable to export of local medicines, and achieving the progress and sustainable development goals in the local medical sector.
Based on the said factors, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Health and Mass Media to direct the Legal Draftsman to formulate a draft bill to amend the Ayurvedha Act No. 31 of 1961.
Import and Export (Control) Regulations No. 08 of 2026
Draft Bill of the Public Private Partnership Enterprises Act to be gazzetted
Amendment of the Ayurvedha Act No. 31 of 1961
Cabinet nod to amend the Sri Lanka Development Administration Institute Act No. 9 of 1982
Establishment of the National Higher Performance Centre
State patronage for the cremation ceremony of the late deputy prelate (Anu Nayaka Thero) of the Sri Laka Ramangya Maha Nikaya, Gatambe Rajopawanramadhipatha, Siri Chandawimala Wanshalankara, Chandrakeerthi Sri Amarawansha, Sadhdharmawageeshwara, Shasanashobhanna Most Venerable Keppetiyagoda Siriwimalabhidhana Thero
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