Sri Lanka Police have warned that the use of loudspeakers and amplification equipment in a way that disturbs neighbours or the public can be prosecuted as a public nuisance, and that sound equipment may be seized if organisers ignore instructions to stop.
Under Section 261 of the Penal Code, operating sound equipment so as to cause public inconvenience may constitute a public nuisance and attract legal action. The Daily Mirror reported that police also cited Supreme Court Case Order No. 38/2005, under which causing disturbance to neighbours and the public through amplified sound can be treated as an offence.
What the hours actually allow
Amplified sound is generally prohibited between 10.00 p.m. and 6.00 a.m. Permission may be granted for religious and other special events depending on the circumstances, following an official assessment.
Where permission has been granted, loudspeakers may generally be used until 10.00 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, until 1.00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and until 12.30 a.m. on Sundays.
Police stressed that a permit is not a licence for unrestricted volume. Even where permission has been granted, sound must be kept within the premises and must not cause a nuisance to the public. Officers will monitor permitted events to ensure the conditions are followed.
If a complaint is received and the noise is found to constitute a public nuisance, organisers will be instructed to stop immediately. Police warned that continued excessive noise after such an instruction will draw legal action, including possible seizure of the equipment.
The health argument
NewsFirst reported that police framed the warning in health terms as well as legal ones, saying excessive noise can have serious physical and psychological effects, particularly on infants, schoolchildren, the elderly and hospital patients.
The public can report illegal or excessive noise to the nearest police station or through the emergency hotlines 118 and 119.
Neither report said what prompted the statement, whether it follows a rise in complaints, or how many prosecutions have been brought under Section 261.
