20. Amendment of section 26 of the principal enactment

Official English translation. Where it differs from the Sinhala or Tamil text, the Act itself says which text prevails.

Section 26 of the principal enactment is hereby amended as follows:—

(1)

by the re-numbering of that section as subsection (1) of that section;

(2)

in the re-numbered subsection (1), by the substitution for the words “Government Agent”

wherever those words appear in that section, of the words “District Secretary, Divisional Secretary or

Forest Officer not below the rank of a Range Forest

Officer”;

(3)

by the addition immediately after the re-numbered subsection (1) of the following new subsection:—

“(2) Any person who makes an application for a permit to transport timber or forest produce stating that such timber or forest produce was obtained from a private property and there is evidence of proof to the contrary that such timber or forest produce was obtained from a forest declared under the provision of this Ordinance or State land, such person shall be guilty of an offence, and shall on conviction, be liable to the same punishment as is specified in subsection (1) of section 25. The application shall be admissible as evidence against such person in a court of law in .”.

Read on from s 21