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Minimum age of Kandyan marriage to be made 18 

20 Oct 2021

BY Pamodi Waravita  The Cabinet of Ministers on 18 October approved the amendment of the Kandyan Marriage and Divorce Act No. 44 of 1952 to increase the minimum age of marriage from 16 years to 18 years, the Justice Ministry told The Morning yesterday (19). “Currently, the Act allows the marriage of 16-year-olds with the consent of their guardians. This will be amended to only allow the marriage of those who are 18 years of age and older,” Justice Ministry Secretary M.P.K. Mayadunne said. Thus, the Legal Draftsman has been advised to prepare a Bill which would make the necessary amendments. Section 8 (1) of the Act, as it presently stands, states that the “consent of a competent authority is required” for the marriage of a minor under the Kandyan law. The Act was last amended in 2013. A number of laws currently govern marriages of Sri Lanka, including the Marriage Registration Ordinance No. 19 of 1907 and the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) No. 13 of 1951. Earlier this year, the committee appointed to propose recommendations to reform the Marriage Registration Ordinance proposed that the law be amended so that a divorce can be obtained by either party to a marriage, or on the mutual agreement of the parties, if the marriage has reached a state of disintegration where there is no reasonable prospect of it being restored. The committee has also recognised the right of one party to the marriage to initiate a divorce upon the presumption of the death of the other party. 


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