Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne has endorsed the certificate on the Chief of Defence Staff (Repeal) Bill, completing the final step in abolishing a post that has existed since 2009.
The endorsement was made on 22 September, the government information department said. The Speaker announced the step on Wednesday, according to the Daily Mirror.
With the certificate signed, the measure takes effect as the Chief of Defence Staff (Repeal) Act, No. 22 of 2026.
What the law does
The Act repeals the Chief of Defence Staff Act, No. 35 of 2009, which created the office of the Chief of Defence Staff to coordinate activities between the armed forces and the Ministry of Defence. With that statute repealed, the office itself ceases to exist.
The legislation also settles what happens to the office’s holdings: on the commencement of the Act, all movable and immovable property belonging to the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff transfers to the Ministry of Defence.
How it moved through Parliament
The Bill was presented for its First Reading on 4 August 2026. The Second Reading debate was held on 9 September, after which Parliament passed it without a division following a six-hour debate.
A Speaker’s certificate is the constitutional step that turns a Bill passed by Parliament into an Act. Its endorsement here means the abolition is now law rather than a pending legislative intention — the substantive change that separates this stage from the September vote.
The repeal removes a layer of the command structure introduced in 2009 and returns the coordinating functions it carried to the Ministry of Defence.
