Several Emergency Regulations amended

COLOMBO (News 1st); Several Emergency regulations have been amended via an extraordinary gazette notification issued by President.

Accordingly, sections 365 (a) and 365 (b) of the Penal Code on “search and arrest” have been removed while sections 408 and 410 to 420 of the same code have been inserted, and Sections 365, 365 (a) and 365 (b) of the Penal Code Emergency orders regarding the punishment imposed on conviction in a High Court have been removed.

The removed sections include;

365 - Unnatural offences (carnal intercourse) Sexual intercourse against the order of nature 
365A - Acts of gross indecency between persons (the offence used to prosecute sexual acts between persons of the same sex)
365B - Grave sexual abuse. 

The emergency regulations were imposed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on 18th July, and passed in Parliament with a majority vote thereafter.