22. Centres for Rehabilitation

Official English translation. The Sinhala text prevails. Open the official Sinhala text, official PDF on documents.gov.lk

(1)

For the purposes of this Act, the Minister may, by

Order published in the Gazette, establish Centres for

Rehabilitation for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug dependant persons and such persons who are identified by law and whose rehabilitation is provided for by law:

Provided, the Treatment Centres established under this

Act to provide treatment and rehabilitation to drug dependant persons shall be published in the Gazette under the provisions of section 2 of the Drug Dependant Persons

(Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act, No. 54 of 2007 and shall be subjected to the provisions of that Act.

(2)

It shall be the duty of every Magistrate to visit every

Centre for Rehabilitation situated within the judicial division in respect of which he is appointed, at least once in every month to ensure that the persons undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre are protected to the extent provided for in the

Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or

Degrading Treatment or Punishment Act, No. 22 of 1994.

(3)

For the purposes of subsection (2), the Magistrate who visits the Centre for Rehabilitation shall-

(a)

personally see the person undergoing rehabilitation, and look into his well-being, welfare and conditions under which such person is kept at such Centre and may examine the records and log books maintained at the Centre; and

(b)

record his observations and any complaint the person undergoing rehabilitation may make.

(4)

Where the Magisrate is of the opinion, that the persons undergoing rehabilitation may have been subjected to torture, the Magistrate may direct that the person undergoing rehabilitation be produced before a Judicial Medical Officer or a Goverment Medical Officer for medical examination, and a report be submitted by such Medical Officer to the

Magistrate.

(5)

Where the report of such Medical Officer reveals that the person undergoing rehabilitation has been subjected to torture, the Magistrate shall make an appropriate order including an order that such person be immediately admitted to a Government hospital for medical treatment and that the officer-in-charge of such Centre immediately inform the court that made the order for the rehabilitation of such person of the findings of the Government Medical Officer.

(6)

The Magistrate shall also direct the Inspector General of Police to commence an investigation into the alleged torture in order to enable the Attorney-General to institute criminal proceedings against the person who is alleged to have committed the torture.

(7)

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka may on its own volition or on a complaint received, visit every Centre to ensure that the rights of the persons undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre are protected to the extent provided by law, and make appropriate recommendations in terms of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Act,

No. 21 of 1996.

Read on from s 23