Ministry of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms

The Ministry of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms^[2][a] is the cabinet ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for the implementation of policies, plans and programmes for the administration of the country's justice system, and thereby administers its courts and prisons. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe is the incumbent Minister of Justice as of 20 May 2022.^[3]

Ministry of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms

අධිකරණ අමාත්‍යාංශය நீதி அமைச்சு
Agency overview
Jurisdiction	Government of Sri Lanka
Headquarters	Superior Courts Complex, Colombo 12 6.935221°N 79.861824°E / 6.935221; 79.861824
Minister responsible	Harshana Nanayakkara, Minister of Justice
Agency executive	Ayesha Jinasena[1], Ministry Secretary
Child agencies	Department of the Attorney General Debt Conciliation Board Department of the Legal Draftsman Department of Public Trustee Judicial and Reforms Unit Law Commission of Sri Lanka Legal Aid Commission of Sri Lanka Mediation Boards Commission National Authority for The Protection of Victims of Crimes and Witnesses Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court Office of the Secretary of Labour Tribunals Sri Lanka Judge’s Institute Sri Lanka Law College Superior Courts Complex Board of Management Training Schools for Youthful Offenders
Website	moj.gov.lk

History

The post was established in 1947 under the Soulbury Constitution as one of two fixed ministerial portfolios, the other being the Ministry of Finance. The post took over several functions of the previous colonial post of Legal Secretary. The Soulbury Constitution mandated that the appointee to the post of Minister of Justice should be from the Senate of Ceylon. This provision was removed following the abolishion of the Senate in October 1971. Since 1947, it has been tradition to appoint a lawyer to the post, with a few exceptions.

Roles and responsibility

The ministry does not have oversight of policing, which comes under the Ministry of Defence.

Departments

• Department of the Attorney General
• Department of the Legal Draftsman
• Department of Public Trustee
• Judicial and Reforms Unit
• Mediation Boards Commission
• Law Commission of Sri Lanka
• Legal Aid Commission of Sri Lanka
• Debt Conciliation Board
• National Authority for The Protection of Victims of Crimes and Witnesses
• Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court
• Office of the Secretary of Labour Tribunals
• Sri Lanka Judge’s Institute
• Sri Lanka Law College
• Superior Courts Complex Board of Management
• Training Schools for Youthful Offenders

Appointments

It also has the authority to appoint individuals to the positions of:

• Justice of the Peace
• Justice of the Peace and Unofficial Magistrate
• Commissioner for Oaths
• Sudden Death Inquirers
• Sworn Translator

List of ministers

Parties

  Sri Lanka Freedom Party   United National Party   Sri Lanka Muslim Congress   Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna

Name		Portrait	Party	Tenure	Head(s) of Government
	Lalitha Rajapaksa		United National Party	26 September 1947 – 1953		D. S. Senanayake Dudley Senanayake
	E. B. Wikramanayake		United National Party	1953 – 1956		John Kotelawala
	M. W. H. de Silva		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	1956 – June 1959		S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
	Valentine S. Jayawickrema		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	June 1959 – 1960		S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike Wijeyananda Dahanayake
	E. J. Cooray		United National Party	23 March 1960 – 21 July 1960		Dudley Senanayake
	Sam Fernando		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	23 July 1960 – March 1965		Sirimavo Bandaranaike
	A. F. Wijemanne		United National Party	March 1965 – 1970		Dudley Senanayake
	Felix Dias Bandaranaike		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	1970 – 1976		Sirimavo Bandaranaike
	Ratnasiri Wickremanayake		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	1976 – 1977
	K. W. Devanayagam		United National Party	23 July 1977 – 14 February 1980		J. R. Jayewardene
	Nissanka Wijeyeratne		United National Party	14 February 1980 – 1988
	Vincent Perera		United National Party	1989 – 1990		Ranasinghe Premadasa
	Abdul Cader Shahul Hameed		United National Party
	Harold Herath		United National Party	1993 – 1994		Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
	G. L. Peiris		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	1994 – 2001		Chandrika Kumaratunga
	W. J. M. Lokubandara		United National Party	2001 – 2004
	Amarasiri Dodangoda		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	2004 – 30 May 2009		Chandrika Kumaratunga Mahinda Rajapaksa
	Milinda Moragoda		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	30 May 2009 – 23 April 2010		Mahinda Rajapaksa
	Athauda Seneviratne		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	23 April 2010 – 22 November 2010
	Rauff Hakeem		Sri Lanka Muslim Congress	22 November 2010 – 28 December 2014
	Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe		United National Party	12 January 2015 - 23 August 2017		Maithripala Sirisena
	Thalatha Atukorale		United National Party	25 August 2017 - 22 November 2019
	Nimal Siripala de Silva		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	22 November 2019 - 12 August 2020		Gotabaya Rajapaksa
	Ali Sabry		Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna	12 August 2020 - 3 April 2022		Gotabaya Rajapaksa
	Office Vacant			3 April 2022 - 26 April 2022		Gotabaya Rajapaksa
	Ali Sabry		Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna	26 April 2022 - 9 May 2022		Gotabaya Rajapaksa
	Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe		Independent	20 May 2022 - Present		Gotabaya Rajapaksa

See also

• Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms

Notes

1. (Sinhala: අධිකරණ, බන්ධනාගාර කටයුතු හා ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා ප්‍රතිසංස්කරණ අමාත්‍යාංශය; Tamil: நீதி, சிறைச்சாலை நடவடிக்கைகள் மற்றும் அரசியலமைப்பு மறுசீரமைப்பு அமைச்சு)