Justice Minister and Leader of the Sri Lanka National Congress Milinda Moragoda will propose the setting up of an Ecclesiastical Court to settle disputes and to redress the grievances among the members of the Buddhist clergy. This will also help to create a conducive environment for their peaceful co-existence, a ministry release said.


The Minister, who is also the Chairman of the Amarapura Nikayabiwurdhi Dayaka Sabawa, in Sri Lanka, is hoping to establish the court after a dialogue with the Maha Sangha to obtain their views in consultation with the Mahanayake’s of the three Chapters.


It has been pointed out that Ecclesiastical Courts are functioning at present without proper legal basis.
The matters relating to problems and grievances among the Buddhist clergy had been a subject of extensive discussion and draft legislation has been prepared based on these discussions.


Minister Moragoda will present his proposal to the President and other organizations that have shown a keen interest in dealing with such issues in a bid to generate a healthy debate.

It has been observed that such a debate is imperative in order to persuade the Sangha to uphold the values according to the teachings and the precepts imparted by the great teacher, which has shown a decline over the years.