The Hon. Sunil Watagala, Attorney-at-Law - Deputy Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs
The Deputy Minister clarified that applicants for Police Clearance Certificates do not require any recommendation or approval from a Public Security Committee Chairman. He said a Grama Niladhari certification is sought only if an issue arises, while routine residence verification is handled by the relevant police officer through the Grama Niladhari. He stated that any contrary advice from officials is incorrect and reiterated the subject Minister’s earlier position.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, as the subject Minister is not in the House at the moment, I will clarify the question raised by Hon. D. V. Chanaka.
¶ 02 On whether a Police Clearance Certificate applicant requires the recommendation or approval of the Chairman of a Public Security Committee: for two days this matter has been tossed between both sides. The Hon. Sajith Premadasa raised it; Hon. D. V. Chanaka also raised it. The subject Minister has already given a clear answer. If some official elsewhere has given a different answer, that is incorrect. The correct position is that no recommendation from any Public Security Committee Chairman is required for a Police Clearance Certificate. A Grama Niladhari’s certification is requested only if any issue arises; otherwise, after the application, the relevant police officer for that area meets the Grama Niladhari merely to verify residence. The Opposition is trying to dramatize this. Do not be so impoverished in your arguments.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Thursday, 20 November 2025 ·No. 22934 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Sunil Watagala, Attorney-at-Law - Deputy Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 20 November 2025. No. 22934. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/4426