The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) is expected to brief parliamentarians on Thursday on the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution and concerns relating to vacancies in the superior courts, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said.
Speaking in Parliament today, Premadasa said he had initially written to the president of the BASL on June 8, requesting a briefing for opposition MPs on the 22nd Amendment and the implications of not filling vacancies for judges in the superior courts.
He said a further request was made on July 30 for the briefing to be extended to all members of Parliament, while the Speaker was also informed of the proposal in writing.
According to Premadasa, the Bar Association subsequently informed him that while it welcomed the proposal, the date initially suggested was not convenient. He said the association later confirmed in writing that its representatives would be available to conduct the briefing on Thursday.
The explanation came after Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake responding to the Opposition Leader said that a procedural error in organizing the BASL briefing had been noted.
Premadasa invited MPs interested in hearing the Bar Association’s views on the issues to attend the briefing.
He also said the correspondence relating to the proposed briefing would be tabled in Parliament and included in the Hansard. (Newswire)