Parliament takes up the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill today in a Second Reading debate scheduled to run across two sittings, with the vote on both due tomorrow afternoon.
Time has been allocated from 11.30 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. today, and again from 11.30 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. tomorrow, the Department of Communications of the Parliament of Sri Lanka said, according to NewsFirst.
What the vote needs
The 22nd Amendment requires a two-thirds majority to pass, and the government expects to carry it on Friday (25), the Daily Mirror reported. The Judicature (Amendment) Bill needs only a simple majority, the Supreme Court having found its provisions not inconsistent with the Constitution.
The debate follows the court’s determination — announced to the House by Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne — that the 22nd Amendment does not require approval at a referendum under Article 83.
Two wording changes the court required
The determination attached conditions to Clause 2. The Sinhala phrase “හැට හතට එළඹෙන දිනය” is to be replaced with “හැට හත සම්පූර්ණ කළ දිනය” — shifting the trigger from the date a judge turns 67 to the date that year is completed. The court also required a second proviso stating that the six-year term limit in the first proviso will not apply to anyone holding the office of Chief Justice when the Act comes into force.
A record 67 petitions were filed against the bill. The figure is unrelated to the retirement age of 67 the amendment sets, despite the coincidence.
Outside the chamber
The Opposition began a protest at Polduwa Junction, near the parliamentary complex, this morning against the amendment being debated inside, the Daily Mirror reported. The SJB announced the gathering yesterday, and the Bar Association has called on parties to release MPs for a conscience vote.
Not reported
None of the three reports says how the debate time is divided between parties, or names the minister moving the bills.
