Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne told Parliament on Thursday that he has received copies of four further petitions filed in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.
The announcement was made as the House commenced sittings for the day. It follows the Speaker’s statement on Wednesday that copies of three petitions had reached his office, alongside a separate petition challenging the companion Judicature (Amendment) Bill.
NewsFirst reported the Speaker as saying the four additional petition copies were received in terms of Article 121(1) of the Constitution, the provision under which a Bill’s constitutionality may be challenged before Parliament passes it. The Supreme Court must then communicate its determination to the Speaker within the period the Constitution prescribes.
The 22nd Amendment was tabled on August 18 by Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara. It would alter provisions governing the judiciary, including the retirement ages of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges, and would also change the composition of the Court of Appeal.
Two counts in circulation
Ada Derana reported that with the latest four, “at least seven petitions have now been filed before the Supreme Court” against the amendment.
That figure is well below the 37 petitions Hiru News reported on Wednesday evening. The two numbers do not measure the same thing: the Speaker’s tally counts only copies formally transmitted to his office, while Hiru’s referred to filings at the Supreme Court registry. No outlet has reconciled them, and readers should treat the seven as a floor rather than a total.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka is among the petitioners and has asked for the case to be heard by a full bench. The government has said it is prepared to follow whatever procedure the Supreme Court determines, including securing the parliamentary majority required or holding a referendum should the Court rule one necessary.
