Parliament will debate the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution at the end of September or in early October, Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said on Saturday, speaking at a public meeting in the Kalutara area.
The Health Minister and Cabinet Spokesman gave the timeline as the Bill — which would raise the retirement age of judges — moves through its Supreme Court challenge period, NewsFirst reported.
The Bill was presented to Parliament on August 18 by Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara. Petitions both challenging and supporting the amendment have since been filed in the Supreme Court.
The same window, three different stages
Jayatissa has now placed three successive stages of the Bill’s passage inside the same end-September-to-October window.
On August 16 he said the amendment would be enacted into law by the end of September or early October, a timeline reported by Daily Mirror and covered here on August 17. Days later, Daily FT reported him telling a public gathering that the Supreme Court’s determination was expected by late September or October. On Saturday he placed the parliamentary debate in the same period.
Those three stages run in sequence: the court’s determination must reach Parliament before the debate, and the debate must precede enactment. Neither outlet noted the shift, and the government has not published a revised schedule.
Litigation still open
The constitutional timetable allows a Bill to be challenged within 14 days of presentation, with the Supreme Court communicating its determination to Parliament within three to 21 days of considering a petition.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka asked the Chief Justice on Friday to constitute a full bench to hear the challenges, citing a conflict of interest, while further petitions supporting the Bill were filed the same week.
