English to be considered for legal proceedings

The English language is to be considered for conducting legal proceedings and maintaining records in certain courts, the Government Information Department said yesterday.   
Particulars in the commerce sphere related to commercial activities are mainly used in the English language and require a considerable cost and time in translating those contents into the Sinhala language. 

• The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal submitted by the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms to take necessary action in this regard  

Due to that, an extended period to settle commercial disputes takes place, which leads to a disadvantage to the entrepreneurs, the 
department said.
“This situation also affected the position of Sri Lanka to be in a lower place in the Ease of Doing Business ratings, which envisage the ability to conduct enterprises in a country. As a remedy to this, it has been recognized as appropriate to issue an order by the subject Minister of Justice with the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers and on par with the provisions of Article 24 (4) of the Constitution permitting to use English language in relation to all the activities in recognized courts or legal records and proceedings precisely mentioned thereupon,” it said.  Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal submitted by the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms to take necessary action in this regard.