The Speaker's Office has confirmed that Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne has received the Supreme Court's official determination regarding the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. The Speaker is set to formally communicate the court's decision to Parliament in due course.
Processing of the draft legislation began on August 18, when Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara presented the 22nd Constitutional Amendment Bill to Parliament.
Following its presentation, several petitions were filed with the Supreme Court challenging the draft bill's constitutionality. A five-judge bench chaired by the Chief Justice considered the petitions and subsequently informed the parties that its ruling on the bill's constitutionality would be forwarded directly to the Speaker.
The Committee on Parliamentary Business recently determined that the parliamentary debate on the 22nd Constitutional Amendment Bill will take place on the 24th and 25th of this month.
