The Department of Prisons has amended its Standing Orders and issued an Extraordinary Gazette notification outlining procedures for handling the removal of robes and the use of clothing when Buddhist monks are admitted to or released from prison.
The Gazette notification was issued by Acting Commissioner General of Prisons R. Prasad Hemantha Kumara under the powers vested in him by the Prisons Ordinance, with the approval of the Minister of Justice and National Integration.
Under the revised regulations, the Department of Buddhist Affairs must be consulted regarding the removal of the robes worn by a Buddhist monk upon admission to prison as an inmate.
Following this consultation, the Department of Buddhist Affairs must inform the relevant Buddhist Nikaya or chapter, which is required to notify the Commissioner General of Prisons of the action it intends to take within 10 days.
The notification further states that similar provisions, with necessary modifications, will also apply when clergy belonging to other religions are admitted to or released from prison.
