unofficial

In Sri Lanka, a Justice of the Peace and Unofficial magistrate (also known as Acting magistrate) is a judicial appointment made by the Minister of Justice to a particular jurisdiction under the Judicature Act No 02 of 1978. An Unofficial magistrate is a senior Attorney at law (with 15 years or more practice), who is a Justice of the Peace and has the powers and authority vested in a Magistrate except the power to hear, try, or determine civil or criminal cases. Persons appointed as Unofficial magistrates may use the post-nominal JP, UM.Commonly found in magistrate courts in remote areas where there are only one Magistrate and/or Additional Magistrate, it is a nominal position awarded to a senior lawyer of the court, who as the unofficial magistrate site on behalf of the magistrate in his/her absence and postpone hearings to a later date, grant bail and remand arrested suspects pending magisterial inquiry.

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