The government is drafting new legislation to allow courts to place suspects under house arrest instead of remanding them in custody, as part of efforts to address severe prison overcrowding, Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said on Thursday.
The Minister noted that Sri Lanka’s prisons, originally built to accommodate around 10,500 inmates, are currently holding nearly 39,000 prisoners.
He stated that the primary cause of overcrowding is the high number of remand prisoners who have not yet been convicted. Of the total prison population, approximately 28,000 are in remand custody, including nearly 20,000 detained on drug-related charges.
Nanayakkara said the proposed legislation, being prepared under the guidance of Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, would enable courts to impose home detention in suitable cases rather than remanding suspects to prison, thereby easing congestion in correctional facilities.
He also pointed out that there is currently no formal mechanism to review or reduce sentences for prisoners serving life imprisonment or facing the death penalty. A committee chaired by Justice Thurairaja has been appointed to examine the introduction of a structured sentence reduction framework for long-term inmates.
The Minister further revealed that Sri Lanka’s courts are currently burdened with approximately 1.1 million pending cases. He said that the rate of case disposal has improved under the current Chief Justice and that steps are being taken to establish new courts, including special courts to hear cases related to the Easter Sunday attacks and bribery charges. Seven additional courts are expected to be set up.
Responding to a question regarding the recent shooting of a lawyer and his wife in Akuregoda, Nanayakkara stated that the legal community as a whole is not under threat due to court appearances and stressed that justice must be served in the case.
He also said the government would amend the proposed rent legislation after considering public feedback and would not proceed with the bill in its current form.