Retired Supreme Court Justice S. Thurairaja has handed over a report prepared to establish a systematic, fair, and transparent mechanism for granting presidential pardons to convicted prison inmates to the Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and National Integration, President’s Counsel Ayesha Jinasena.

The report was officially handed over yesterday (10) at the Ministry of Justice.

The committee, chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice S. Thurairaja, was appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers on June 25, 2025. It was tasked with studying the proviso to Article 34(1) of the existing Constitution, along with other relevant statutes and judicial decisions, to address administrative and procedural shortcomings within the prison sector and submit recommendations.

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

This initiative is considered a significant step in the government’s ongoing reforms aimed at reducing severe overcrowding in prisons, addressing shortcomings in inmate rehabilitation mechanisms, and establishing a prison system aligned with international standards.

The Ministry of Justice and National Integration will review these recommendations and take appropriate measures to implement them in the future.