Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2017-01-10

Amendment of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Special Provisions) Act, No.2 of 2013

- A Bill was drafted in August 2016, with a view to providing for a suspect arrested by the Police, the right of access to a lawyer immediately after recording his statement, but taking into consideration the representations made by certain parties interested on the matter, the Draft Bill was not tabled in Parliament. Subsequently, a Committee was appointed comprising the representatives of the Sri Lanka Bar Association, the Attorney General's Department and other Stakeholders to evolve a more acceptable draft on the subject as recommended by the Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee on Legal Affairs (Anti Corruption). Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. (Dr.) Wijayadasa Rajapaksa, the Minister of Justice, to instruct the Legal Draftsman, to draft necessary Legislation, based on the draft prepared by the said Committee which has made provision to ensure the rights of a suspect arrested and to publish the draft so prepared, in the Government Gazette and present it in Parliament for approval, was approved by the Cabinet.