The Cabinet of Ministers has given the nod to several proposals tabled by the Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, President’s Counsel Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe in a bid to streamline the role of the coroner and to make the system more efficient.

Coroners are appointed in Sri Lanka on a “Korala” basis, Municipal division basis, and hospital basis. The Government says that people find it difficult to obtain services of coroners due to the inability to identify the boundaries of the relevant jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, the large number of vacancies in some districts due to the non-appointment of a coroner for a long time is another inconvenience to the people.

In order to resolve those issues and provide a more efficient and regular service to the people, the Ministry of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms has prepared a fixed manual clearly stating the provisions including the qualifications, responsibilities and roles of the coroners. In accordance with the provisions of the said manual, the Ministry has planned to assign all currently appointed coroners to Divisional Secretariats and identified hospitals, to appoint bilingual inspectors for bilingual Divisional Secretariats, and to make new recruitments to fill the remaining vacancies.