Hon. (Prof.) A.H.M.H. Abayarathna - Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government
The Minister answered that no circular has been issued under the relevant law, as existing legislation does not provide for such a circular, and said Registrar General’s Department officers have not harassed anyone while Muslim citizens have been informed of the current legal position. He stated that amendments to Section 2 of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act should be considered in light of social, cultural, legal and other factors, including its application to Muslims resident and non-resident in Sri Lanka. He added that, given the sensitivity of the matter, any reform should follow consultation with all stakeholders.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, the answers to the questions are as follows:
¶ 02 1. Yes.
¶ 03 No circular has been issued under such an Act. There are no provisions under the prevailing law for issuing such a circular. Officers of the Department of the Registrar General have not subjected anyone to such harassment, and Muslim citizens have been made aware of the existing legal provisions.
¶ 04 6. Taking into account social, cultural, legal and other relevant factors, it is necessary to consider amending Section 2 of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act in a manner applicable not only to the Muslim community residing in Sri Lanka but also to Muslims not resident in Sri Lanka. As this is a very sensitive matter, any legal reform must be done after obtaining the views of all stakeholders.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Thursday, 9 October 2025 ·No. 22973 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: Hon. (Prof.) A.H.M.H. Abayarathna - Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 9 October 2025. No. 22973. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/7526