The report of the committee appointed to formulate a new systematic, fair and transparent mechanism for granting presidential pardons to convicted prisoners has been handed over to Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and National Integration, President’s Counsel Ayesha Jinasena, by the committee’s Chairman, retired Supreme Court Justice S. Thurairaja.The committee was appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers on 25 June 2025 to review the provisions of Article 34(1) of the Constitution, relevant laws and regulations, and existing administrative procedures, with the aim of identifying shortcomings in the process of granting presidential pardons and making appropriate recommendations to address them.

The other members of the committee were 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 and Attorney-at-Law Asanga Karawita; Chairperson of the Bureau of Rehabilitation Professor Wasantha Subasinghe; Consultant Medical Specialist Dr Chittahari Abeynayake; former Acting Commissioner General 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 Chandima Welikala.

The report is considered an important step in the Government’s reform program aimed at reducing severe overcrowding in prisons, making the rehabilitation of inmates more effective and establishing a prison system that complies with international standards.

The Ministry of Justice and National Integration is expected to consider