Penal Code (Amendment) Act 2021

This Act may be cited as the Penal Code

(Amendment) Act, No. 5 of 2021.

The word “Ceylon”, wherever it appears in the Penal

Code (Chapter 19) (hereinafter referred to as the “principal enactment”) other than in sections 3, 18A, 120, 138, 158,

159, 160, 225 and 256A thereof, shall be substituted with the word “Sri Lanka”.

The word “Queen”, wherever it appears in the principal enactment, other than in sections 19, 115 and 120

thereof, shall be substituted with the word “Republic”.

Section 12 of the principal enactment is hereby repealed and the following section is substituted therefor:-

12. The word “Republic” denotes the

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.”.

Section 13 of the principal enactment is hereby repealed.

Section 14 of the principal enactment is hereby repealed and the following section is substituted therefor:-

14. The word “Government”, where no other meaning is indicated by any descriptive or qualifying words or by the context, and the

“Republic

“Government expression “the Sri Lanka Government” or “the

Government of Sri Lanka” shall mean the

Government constituted by the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri

Lanka, 1978.”.

Section 15 of the principal enactment is hereby repealed and the following section is substituted therefor:—

15. The words “this Island” and “Sri Lanka”

denote respectively, the Island of Sri Lanka.”.

Section 16 of the principal enactment is hereby repealed and the following section is substituted therefor:—

16. The word “President” shall mean the

President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and shall include any person duly appointed or designated to exercise, perform and discharge the powers, duties and functions of his office.”.

Section 17 of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the ommision of illustration (b) thereof.

Section 18A of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the substitution for all the words from “any enactment or any statute” to the end of that section, of the words, “any enactment of the legislature of Sri Lanka or under the Ceylon (Parliamentary Elections) Order in

Council, 1946 or any rules or regulations made thereunder.”.

Section 19 of the principal enactment is hereby amended by—

the substitution for all the words from “Firstly” to

the substitution in the illustration thereof, for the words “A police Vidahn”, of the words “A

Section 25 of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the substitution for the word “wife”, wherever it appears in that section, of the word “spouse”.

Section 53 of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the substitution for the word “Governor-General’s”, of the word “President’s”.

Section 56 of the principal enactment is hereby amended in the illustration thereof, by the substitution for the words “waging war against the Government,” of the words “waging war against the Republic,”.

Section 115 of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the substitution for the words “to deprive the

Queen of the sovereignty of Ceylon or of any part thereof, or of any of her Majesty’s Realms and Territories,”, of the words

“to deprive the People of the Republic of Sri Lanka of their sovereignty in Sri Lanka or any part thereof,”.

Section 119 of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the substitution—

for the words “Governor-General or a Senator or

in the marginal note, for the word “Governor-General”, of the word “President”.

Section 120 of the principal enactment is hereby amended—

by the substitution for the words “the Queen or to

by the substitution for the words “the Queen’s subjects” and “subjects”, respectively, of the words,

in the explanation thereof,—

Section 138 of the principal enactment is hereby amended—

by the substitution for the words “Her majesty’s

by the substitution for the words “Governor-General of Ceylon.”, of the words “President of the

Section 158 of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the substitution for the words “Government of

Ceylon”, of the words “Government of the Republic”.

Section 159 of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the substitution for the words “the Senate or

House of Representatives or the Executive Government of

Ceylon”, of the words “the Parliament or the Executive

Government of the Republic”.

Section 160 of the principal enactment is hereby amended—

by the substitution for the words “the Senate or

in the illustration thereof, by the substitution for the words “An advocate”, of the words

Section 162 of the principal enactment is hereby amended—

by the substitution for the words “the Government”, of the words “the Republic”; and

in the marginal note thereof, by the substitution for the words “the Government”, of the word “the

Sections 191 and 192 of the principal enactment are hereby amended by the substitution for the words “this code or the law of England”, of the words “this code or any other enactment for the time being in force”.

Section 225 of the principal enactment is hereby amended—

by the substitution for the words “issued by the authority of the Government of Ceylon or under the Currency Ordinance, No. 21 of 1941, or any enactment in operation for the time being relating to the issue of coins in Ceylon or by the authority of the Government of any part of Her Majesty’s

by the substitution for the words “in Ceylon or in any part of Her Majesty’s Realms and Territories”, of the words “in Sri Lanka”.

Section 256A of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the substitution for the words “Her Majesty’s

Government in Ceylon and also the Government in any part of Her Majesty’s Realms and Territories or in any foreign country.”, of the words “the Government of any foreign country.”.

Section 398 of the principal enactment is hereby amended in the illustration (a) thereof, the substitution for the words “Civil Service,”, of the words “Sri Lanka

Adminstrative Service,”.

Section 449 of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the substitution for the word “Crown.”, of the word “State.”.

Section 468 of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the substitution for the words “in any part of

Her Majesty’s Realms and Territories or in any foreign country”, wherever those words appear in that section, of the words “in Sri Lanka or in any foreign country”.

Section 478A of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the repeal of paragraph (b) of subsection (2)

thereof and the substitution therefor of the following paragraph:—

“(b)

“currency note” means a currency note issued under the Currency Ordinance, No. 21 of 1941, or under the Monetary Law Act (Chapter 422), or any enactment in operation for the time being relating to the issue of paper currency in Sri Lanka and includes any note of a similar character, by whatever name called, issued by or on behalf of the

Government of any foreign State.”.

Section 485 of the principal enactment is hereby amended by the substitution for the words “of Her Majesty”, of the words “of the Republic”.

In the event of any inconsistency between the

Sinhala and Tamil texts of this Act, the Sinhala text shall prevail.