September 03, Colombo (LNW): Written arguments in the legal challenges against Sri Lanka’s proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution are to be handed over to the Supreme Court by 3.00 p.m. today (03).
A five-member bench, led by Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, issued the direction after bringing the hearing of the petitions to a close yesterday.
The constitutional challenge was taken up by the Court from 1 September following the filing of 67 separate petitions. The bench also declined a request for the case to be heard by a larger full bench.
Among those who have challenged the proposed legislation are the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya and the Sarvajana Balaya, along with a number of other petitioners.
The challenges centre on whether provisions of the proposed amendment are consistent with the Constitution. The petitioners have maintained that some of the changes would require not only a two-thirds majority in Parliament but also endorsement through a national referendum.
One of the principal changes proposed in the Bill concerns the tenure of senior members of the judiciary. If approved, the retirement age for Supreme Court judges would rise from 65 to 67, while judges of the Court of Appeal would be able to remain in office until the age of 65, instead of 63.
With the written submissions now due, the next significant step will be the Supreme Court’s determination on the constitutional validity of the Bill. The Court’s decision will be sent confidentially to the Speaker of Parliament, as required under the constitutional process.