Language Of The Courts Act (No. 3 of 1961)

Sri Lanka Consolidated Acts

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Language Of The Courts Act (No. 3 of 1961) - Sect 4

How certain provisions of written law shall have effect in their application to courts to which an Order under section 2 applies

(1) Where an Order under section 2 applies to the Supreme Court-

	(a) every judgment, decree, order or direction of that Court shall be written in Sinhala or English and, if written in English, shall be accompanied by a Sinhala translation thereof and, if a Judge pronounces it in English, he shall read or cause to be read the Sinhala translation thereof; and

	(b) section 758 (1) of the Civil Procedure Code shall have effect as if, for the word " English ", there were substituted the word " Sinhala "

(2) Where an Order under section 2 applies to any District Court or Magistrate's Court-

	(a) section 298 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code shall, in its application to that Court, have effect as if, for the word " English ", there were substituted the word "Sinhala"; and

(b) section 299 of the Criminal Procedure Code shall, in its application to that Court, have effect as if, for subsection (3) of that section, there were substituted the following subsection: -

" (3) If the evidence of a witness is not given in Sinhala and he does not understand Sinhala, that evidence as recorded in Sinhala shall be interpreted to him in the language in which it was given.".

(3) Where an Order under section 2 applies to any District Court or Court of Requests,-

	(a) section 40 of the Civil Procedure Code shall, in its application to that Court, have effect as if, for the word " English ", there were substituted the word " Sinhala ";

	(b) section 75 of the Civil Procedure Code shall, in its application to that Court, have effect as if, for the word " English ", there were substituted the word " Sinhala ";

	(c) section 169 of the Civil Procedure Code shall, in its application to that Court, have effect as if, for the word " English", there were substituted the word " Sinhala ";

(d) section 186 of the Civil Procedure Code shall, in its application to that Court, have effect as if,-

(i) for the words " shall be written in English,", there were substituted the words " shall be written in Sinhala or English and, if written in English, shall be accompanied by a Sinhala translation thereof,";

(ii) for the words " pronouncing it.", there were substituted the words " pronouncing it, and the Judge shall, if the judgment is written in English, pronounce it in English and read or cause to be read a Sinhala translation thereof."; and

(iii) for the word " English " occurring in the marginal note to that section, there were substituted the word "Sinhala or English "; and

	(e) section 374 of the Civil Procedure Code shall, in its application to that Court, have effect as if, for the word " English ", there were substituted the word " Sinhala ".

(4) Where an Order under section 2 applies to any Rural Court, section 20 of the Rural Courts Ordinance Cap. 8. shall, in its application to that Court, have effect as if, for all the words from " in such language " to the end of that section, there were substituted the words " in Sinhala and the record thereof shall be kept in Sinhala.".

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