Parliament will hold a two-day debate on the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution on September 24 and 25, following a decision taken on Thursday, the Parliament Media Unit told Daily Mirror.
Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne is expected to receive the Supreme Court’s determination on the legislation shortly, which would clear the way for the debate.
Hiru: a second bill is on the same order paper
Hiru News reports that the two-day slot covers not only the 22nd Amendment Bill but also the Judicature (Amendment) Bill — a second piece of legislation the Daily Mirror account does not mention. Neither outlet says what the Judicature amendment contains or how the two bills relate, though the 22nd Amendment’s central provision concerns the judiciary.
The two reports also describe the deciding body differently. Daily Mirror attributes the decision to party leaders; Hiru attributes it to the Committee on Parliamentary Business, which met on Thursday. These are the same forum under two names, but only Hiru gives the formal one.
Update: NewsFirst settles both points in Hiru’s favour. It reports that the Committee on Parliamentary Business — the formal name, not “party leaders” — decided to take up both the 22nd Amendment Bill and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill for debate on September 24 and 25. Two of the three outlets covering the decision therefore have the second bill on the order paper; the Daily Mirror is alone in omitting it.
The determination has still not arrived
The scheduling is the more significant detail. On September 8 the Supreme Court’s determination was expected before Parliament during the sitting week that ran to September 11. It has not been tabled, and the debate has now been fixed for a fortnight later.
Until the Speaker announces it to the House, the ruling stays confidential — neither the petitioners nor the Government are told what it says.
What the court is deciding
A five-judge bench concluded two days of argument with Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena confirming the determination would go confidentially to the Speaker. A record 67 petitions were filed against the Bill, the most ever brought against a constitutional amendment in Sri Lanka.
The Bill would raise the retirement age of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka opposed it and declined to file written submissions after being refused an oral right of reply, and 40 trade unions have backed the association’s position.
The determination governs how the Bill can pass at all. If the court finds any clause inconsistent with the Constitution, it may need a two-thirds majority, a referendum, or both. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has grounded his referendum demand in articles 3, 4 and 83, and clashed with the Justice Minister over the issue in the House a day earlier. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said the amendment will be approved soon after the court reports.
Not reported
Neither outlet says whether the debate ends in a vote, what majority the Government expects to command, or why the determination has not yet reached the Speaker. Neither gives the content of the Judicature (Amendment) Bill. Ada Derana was unreachable behind a CloudFront block and its coverage could not be checked.
