PARLIAMENT

The Speaker Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday (23) endorsed the certificate on the Industrial Disputes (Special Provisions), the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment), Civil Procedure Code (Amendment) Bills which were passed in Parliament recently.

The purpose of the Industrial Disputes (Special Provisions) Bill is to reduce the congestion in the Magistrates' Courts in resolving labor disputes and to delegate the powers of prosecution to the Chairmen of Labor Tribunals.

The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill amends Section 442 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act No. 15 of 1979 and provides a free copy of the final order of the judgment or case report to each party in a case free of charge.

The Civil Procedure Code (Amendment) Bill adds a new section 154 (a) to the Civil Procedure Code and exempts certain documents from formal proof in certain legal proceedings.

Accordingly, the said Bills will thus be in effect as the Civil Procedure Code (Amendment) Act No. 17 of 2022, Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act No. 18 of 2022 and the Industrial Disputes (Special Provisions) Act No. 19 of 2022.