13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution
Topic: Power-sharing: Majoritarianism versus Accommodation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution (1987) followed the India–Sri Lanka Accord. Rajiv Gandhi and J.R. Jayewardene signed the Accord on 29 July 1987. The amendment set up elected provincial councils with devolved powers, meaning powers handed down from the national government. It also made Tamil an official language. It was Sri Lanka's main attempt at vertical power-sharing, which means sharing power between higher and lower levels of government.
Example
Police and land powers were never handed over to the councils. Council elections have not been held since their terms ended (verify current). India still presses for the amendment to be put into effect in full, as PIB joint statements of 2024-25 show. The Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) served in Sri Lanka from 1987 to 1990.
Don't confuse with
- Indian constitutional amendments: India's 13th Amendment created the state of Nagaland and has nothing to do with Sri Lanka. In India, the matching idea of local self-government came through the 73rd and 74th Amendments (1992).