Sri Lanka, Aug. 4 -- The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to expedite the drafting of legislation to introduce house arrest as a legal alternative to remand and imprisonment for eligible suspects and convicted offenders in a bid to ease overcrowding in prisons.

The proposal, submitted by the Minister of Justice and National Integration, seeks to instruct the Legal Draftsman to finalise the bill by incorporating additional provisions identified following a review of the draft legislation.

The initiative stems from an earlier policy decision by the Cabinet to introduce legal provisions enabling courts to place eligible suspects and convicts under house arrest instead of remanding or imprisoning them in appropriate cases.

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