Minister of Justice and National Integration, Harshana Nanayakkara, announced that special mediation boards (Samatha Mandala) dedicated to handling financial disputes will soon be introduced in a bid to reduce the number of such cases being brought before the courts.
As part of the first phase, these dedicated mediation boards will be established in the districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy, and Monaragala, the Minister stated.
He made these remarks while attending a program held at the Mediation Boards Commission to mark National Mediation Boards Day 2025.
Minister Nanayakkara highlighted that over Rs. 1 billion has been allocated to the Mediation Boards Commission under the 2025 budget, strengthening its operations. In addition, special mediation boards for land disputes have already been set up in 16 districts, while the newly introduced financial mediation boards aim to ease the burden on the courts by settling such disputes outside the judicial system.
The Minister further noted that over 200,000 disputes are referred to mediation boards each year. With the strengthened process, an additional 200,000 cases currently pending in courts are also expected to be reduced annually.
