Report containing recommendations on granting presidential pardons to prison inmates handed over

The report prepared for a systematic, fair, and transparent mechanism for granting presidential general pardons to convicted prison inmates was handed over yesterday (10) at the Ministry of Justice to the Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and National Integration, President’s Counsel Ayesha Jinasena, by retired Supreme Court Judge Mr. S. Thurairaja. On June 25, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers appointed a committee under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court Judge Mr. S. Thurairaja to study the existing Constitution, including the proviso of Article 34 (1), other legal ordinances, and judgments, to rectify the administrative procedural shortcomings existing in the prison sector and present recommendations.

The other members of this committee were Deputy Minister of Mass Media Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and National Integration Piyumanthi Peiris, Additional Solicitor General Nerin Pulle, Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Attorney-at-Law Asanga Karavita, Chairperson of the Bureau of Rehabilitation Professor Wasantha Subasinghe, Specialist Doctor Chitthahari Abayanayake, Former Acting Commissioner of Prisons Nishan Dhanasinghe, Acting Commissioner General of Prisons Prasad Hemantha Kumara, Senior Assistant Secretary (Legal) of the Ministry of Justice and National Integration Roshani Hettige, and Senior Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and National Integration Chandima Welikala.

This can be described as a fundamental step in the reforms carried out by the government for a prison system that can adapt to international standards, while minimizing the existing severe overcrowding in prisons and avoiding various shortcomings existing in inmate rehabilitation mechanisms. Considering these recommendations, implementation in an appropriate manner will be carried out by the Ministry of Justice and National Integration in the coming period.