The Parliamentary Business for the next Parliamentary Week, scheduled to be held from September 22 to 25, has been decided at the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held yesterday (10) under the chairmanship of Speaker, Jagath Wickramaratne.

On each day that Parliament meets, the period from 9.30 am to 10.00 am has been allocated for Parliamentary Business specified under Standing Orders 22(1) to 22(6). 

The period from 10.00 am to 11.00 am has been allocated for Questions for Oral Answers, while the period from 11.00 am to 11.30 am has been allocated for Questions under Standing Order 27(2).

• Agenda for Tuesday, September 22:

From 11.30 am to 5.00 pm, the Orders published in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2497/37 under the Petroleum Resources Act and the Promotion of Export Agriculture (Amendment) Bill (Second Reading) will be taken up for debate at.

Thereafter, at 5.00 pm, the Tredso Development Foundation (Incorporation) Bill, a Private Member’s Bill, is scheduled to be taken up for Second Reading and thereafter referred to the Legislative Standing Committee.

From 5.00 pm to 5.30 pm, an Motion at the Adjournment Time moved by the Opposition is scheduled to be taken up for debate.

• Agenda for Wednesday, September 23:

From 11.30 am to 5.00 pm, the debate on the Chartered Institute of Media Professionals of Sri Lanka Bill (Second Reading) will be held.

Thereafter, the period from 5.00 pm to 5.30 pm has been allocated for Questions at the Adjournment Time.

• Agenda for Thursday, September 24:

From 11.30 am to 7.00 pm, time has been allocated for the Second Reading debate on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill.

It was agreed that the two-day debate would be held subject to the Speaker making an announcement to Parliament following the delivery of the Supreme Court determination on the petitions filed against the respective Bills under Article 121 of the Constitution.

• Agenda for Friday, September 25:

From 11.30 am to 7.00 pm, it has been decided to continue the Second Reading debate on the Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution Bill and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill for the second day. (Newswire)

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The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) met with representatives of the Free Operations Centre at party headquarters to discuss opposition unity in the wake of the 22nd Constitutional Amendment debate and approval in Parliament.

Both sides reviewed how opposition parties and stakeholders acted collectively during the parliamentary process and agreed that further joint discussions are needed.

It was decided that in the coming week, opposition political parties, trade unions, and civil organizations will convene for a united dialogue to determine future actions.

Present at the meeting from the SJB were General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara, MPs Sujeewa Senasinghe, Kavinda Jayawardena, J.C. Alawathuwala, and Sujith Sanjaya Perera. 

Representing the Free Operations Centre were Attorney Shiraz Lakthilaka, President’s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne, and former MPs Premanath Dolawatta and Saman Rathnapriya, along with others. (Newswire)

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Sri Lanka’s main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) staged a protest in Colombo Fort against the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, led by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa.

SJB parliamentarians, party members and supporters joined the demonstration, voicing their opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment.

Addressing the protest, Premadasa said the SJB would use every democratic means available to defeat the 22nd Amendment.

“We will do everything within our democratic means to defeat the 22nd Amendment,” Premadasa said.

The Opposition Leader said his party would continue its campaign against the proposed amendment both inside and outside Parliament, while pursuing its opposition through democratic means.

The protest comes amid heightened political and legal debate over the proposed 22nd Amendment. (Newswire)

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The President of the Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association, Steven Thiru, observed proceedings at the Supreme Court yesterday as hearings began on petitions challenging the Government’s proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.

Thiru’s participation follows his warning in July that Sri Lanka risks repeating Zimbabwe’s controversial judicial crisis if it proceeds with plans to extend the retirement age of sitting superior court judges without broad public consultation. 

Addressing a public forum organised by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), he stressed that the issue was not the proposed retirement age itself, but the timing, manner, and application of the constitutional amendment.

Hearings on the petitions commenced yesterday (01) and continued for nearly 12 hours until 10.30 pm, underscoring the intensity of the legal challenge. A total of 67 petitions have been filed against the Bill, including 41 submitted online.

Today (02) marks the second consecutive day of hearings before a five‑judge bench comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, Achala Wengappuli, Arjuna Obeyesekere, Sampath Abeykoon, and Gihan Kulatunga. 

Lawyers representing the petitioners are currently making submissions challenging the constitutionality of the Bill. Once the petitioners’ arguments conclude, counsel for the intervening petitioners are scheduled to present their submissions. 

The Attorney General is expected to address the Court thereafter, focusing on the Bill’s constitutional validity. (Newswire)

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The Supreme Court will commence consideration of the 67 petitions filed against the Government’s 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill at 10.00 am today.

Of the petitions, 41 have been lodged through the online system, marking a notable feature in the proceedings.

In addition, five petitions have been filed challenging the Judicial Organizations Amendment Bill presented to Parliament.

Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena has appointed a five‑judge bench to examine the cases, with himself presiding. 

The other members are Achala Wengappuli, Arjuna Obeysekera, Sampath Abeykoon, and Gihan Kulatunga.

The Court last evening issued a notice to the Attorney General directing him to present submissions regarding the petitions. (Newswire)

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Executive Committee Member of the National People’s Power (NPP), Lal Wijenayake, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the 22nd Constitutional Amendment.

He has requested a ruling that the amendment must be subjected to a referendum for public approval.

Issuing a statement, Wijenayake argued that framing the opposition to the 22nd Amendment merely as a contest between Government and Opposition misleads the public. 

He described the struggle as one to defend judicial independence and to safeguard the right of citizens to live in a disciplined society.

“The choice before the people is not whether to protect a political party, but whether to preserve for future generations the right to live as disciplined citizens in a disciplined society, won through long‑term dedication and struggle,” his statement read.

In addition to his personal petition, Wijenayake, a convener and founding member of the Lawyers for Democracy, has filed another petition through the organization. 

That petition contends that the 22nd Amendment is inconsistent with Article 3 of the Constitution and therefore must be approved by referendum.

The deadline for filing petitions against the 22nd Amendment is set to expire today, with multiple challenges already lodged before the Court. (Newswire)

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Justice Minister Harsha Nanayakkara declared that the government will not step back “even by a single step” from its effort to bring the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, despite mounting opposition.

Speaking at the Badulla District convention of the Rata Hadana Jana Balaya movement, the Minister said the amendment is part of wider reforms aimed at strengthening the judicial system and ensuring corrupt individuals are brought before the courts.

He noted that decades of neglect had left the system paralyzed, with over 1.1 million cases pending. The government’s reforms, he said, are designed to make proceedings faster and more efficient, including changes to the retirement age of judges.

Nanayakkara rejected claims that the amendment targets a single judge, stressing that under the Judicial Organizations Act, the retirement age of all judges would be increased uniformly by two years. “If we tried to extend only one judge’s age, that argument would be valid. But here, everyone’s age increases equally,” he said.

Responding to critics who questioned the timing, the Minister asked why the amendment should be delayed until December. “If it is not good now, how does it become good later? By the end of this year you will see results. Justice will be fulfilled. The steps taken by this government will not go back. That is not the nature of this government,” he asserted. (Newswire)

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The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) and the Government Dental Surgeons’ Association have announced their decision to oppose the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.

Representatives of both associations said they had reached consensus to act jointly against the proposal together with other professional organizations, including the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL). 

Their stance adds to the growing resistance from professional bodies, civil society, and activists. 

Several petitions have already been filed before the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka challenging the amendment. (Newswire)

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Two additional intervening petitions have been submitted to the Supreme Court in support of the Government’s 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill, which has been presented to Parliament. 

One petition was filed by leader of the New Sinhala Heritage, Sarath Manamendra, while the other was submitted by K. Sarath Lal Perera, General Secretary of the National Organization for the Protection of Retired Rights.

The petitions state that the Bill has been presented in a lawful manner and request the Court to rule that it can be passed without the need for a referendum. (Newswire)

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Artist Iraj Weeraratne and a group representing the Social Media Journalists for Democracy have filed a petition before the Supreme Court challenging the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.

The petition was filed on Tuesday (25), opposing the proposed constitutional amendment.

Iraj Weeraratne, Nilantha Sathsara Gamage, Chamara Wijesuriya and Nandana Kuda Meegoda appeared as petitioners representing the organisation.

The group is seeking the Supreme Court’s intervention over the proposed 22nd Amendment. (Newswire)

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The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution is being used as a factor to postpone the Presidential Election, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Gamini Waleboda alleged.

Addressing the media, MP Waleboda said that Cabinet approval has been granted for the proposal in this regard and it is expected to be presented to Parliament in the coming week.

He further said it has been proposed to amend paragraph (b) of Article 83 of the Constitution by replacing the words “exceeding six years” with “exceeding five years”.

“The Amendment would require a two-thirds majority in Parliament and will be presented to the Supreme Court, after which the necessary measures will be taken based on the court order,” he said.

MP Waleboda revealed that the President and his team are facing challenges in securing a two-thirds majority in Parliament as the SLPP intends to field its own candidate for the Presidential Election. 

He further alleged that the President intends to use his executive powers to dissolve Parliament if he fails to obtain the necessary two-thirds majority and that a Gazette notification in this regard has already been prepared. 

“We have received information and many people have also questioned us on the fact that a Gazette notification on dissolving Parliament has been prepared and is to be issued the same day if the President fails to obtain the necessary two-thirds majority,” the MP said. 

MP Gamini Waleboda hinted that there was a possibility for changes in Sri Lanka’s politics soon. (Newswire) 

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