Gazette issued on appointment of Probation Officers as Justices of Peace

In order to avoid the inconvenience caused to children who become victims when obtaining affidavits required for legal matters, a Gazette Notification has been issued pertaining to the legal provisions to appoint the probation officers as justices of the peace, Parliament's Communications Department stated. 

Pursuant to the Judicature Act No 02 of 1978, the Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC has issued this Gazette Notification No. 2347/10-2023.

Accordingly, it has been stated in the notification that every Probation Officer of the Department of Probation and Child Care Services, who is in active permanent service, shall be an ex-officio Justice of the Peace for the respective administrative district of the province to which such officer is appointed.

Moreover, every National Integration Co-ordinating Officer attached to the Divisional Secretariats, who is in active permanent service, shall be an ex-officio Justice of the Peace for the respective administrative district to which the Divisional Secretariat Division belongs is also stated the Gazette Notification.

The Minister of Justice has issued this Gazette Notification given the intervention made by the Parliamentary Caucus for Children taking into account the need to appoint justices of the peace to probation officers to avoid the inconvenience of obtaining affidavits required in legal proceedings for children who become victims.

This was taken into discussion at length in the Parliamentary Caucus for Children held Chaired by Rohini Kumari Wijerathna, and the Provincial Commissioners including the Commissioner, Department of Probation and Child Care Services   who joined the meeting. Presenting their concerns and suggestions to the Caucus, they pointed out that during the judicial process, the victimized children who are under probation are inconvenient when referring to a third party to obtain affidavits.