Cabinet of Ministers has approved to repeal the inconsistencies in the Kandyan Marriage and Divorce Act.
Steps have already been taken to draft a bill to amend the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act and concurrently to that, the Cabinet of Ministers has now approved a proposal to repeal the relevant inconsistencies in the Kandyan Marriage and Divorce Act.
Amendments to the Kandyan Marriage and Divorce Act Section 22 of the Marriage Registration Ordinance was amended by the Marriage Registration Act No. 12 of 1997 (Amended), stipulating that the consent of the parents is
required for the marriage of a minor.
According to the judgment of the case Gunaratnam against the Registrar General, a party under the age of 18 cannot enter into a valid marriage in Sri Lanka. Parents’ permission or consent to such a marriage is invalid before the law.
According to that judgment, the provisions pertaining to the law authorizing the marriage of a minor with the consent of a competent authority should be repealed.
