After 72 years, the Penal Code and the Evidence Ordinance have replaced outdated words and phrases with contemporary terms and expressions.
The Penal Code, the Evidence Ordinance and the Bail Amendment Bill were introduced by the Minister of Justice, President’s Counsel Mohamed Ali Sabri, in Parliament for the second time yesterday (06) and passed unanimously. The amendment seeks to replace outdated words and phrases in the Penal Code Bill and the Evidence Ordinance.
The specialty here is to replace the obsolete and currently unused words and phrases in the Penal Code Bill and the Evidence Ordinance used during the colonial period. This is the first time in the 72 years since independence that such an amendment has been made.
Accordingly, the word “Fighting against the Queen” was substituted for the word “Fighting against the Queen” which had hitherto been included in the Evidence Ordinance, and the word “republic” was used in place of the word “Queen” in those Acts. The Ministry of Justice states that the replacement was made.
The word “Sri Lanka” was substituted for the word “Sri Lanka” in these Acts, and the word “Government of Sri Lanka” was substituted for the word “Government of Sri Lanka” and the word “Governor” was replaced by the word “President”. The word “charter” was replaced by “rules and regulations”.
During the colonial period the word “civil service” was amended to “Sri Lanka Administrative Service” and the word “police officer” was amended.
Amendments to the Bail Act also increased the amount of fines imposed for breach of bail orders.