Speaker signs four new Bills into law

By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya informed the Parliament yesterday that he had officiated over four Bills - the Judicature Amendment, Penal Code Amendment, Criminal Procedure Code Amendment and Civil Aviation Amendment - which received House approval recently.

“On par with Article 70 of the Constitution, I have placed my signature on the Judicature (Amendment) Bill on 15 May 2018. Signatures were placed on Penal Code (Amendment), Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) and the Civil Aviation (Amendment) on 21 May 2018,” the Speaker told Parliament.

The Judicature (Amendment) Bill was presented to Parliament on 6 March 2018 by the Minister of Justice and received House approval with amendments on 9 May 2018. The Bill amends the Judicature Act, No. 2 of 1978 making necessary provisions for a Permanent High Court at Bar to try, hear and determine the trials of the offences specified in the 6th schedule of the Act.

The Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) amendment has increased the minimum age limit for filing indictments from the current eight years of age to 12.