The Supreme Court has concluded hearings on 26 petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Government’s proposed Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill, following the Attorney General’s announcement of several amendments to the legislation.
At the conclusion of the hearing today (09), the Supreme Court stated that its confidential determination on the constitutionality of the Bill would be communicated to the Speaker of Parliament and the President.
The petitions were heard before a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justices Achala Wengappuli and Sampath Abeykoon.
During the proceedings, Solicitor General Viraj Dayaratne, appearing on behalf of the Attorney General, informed the Court that the Government had proposed several amendments to the Bill, which are expected to be formally introduced during the Committee Stage in Parliament.
Among the key amendments, the proposed maximum detention period of 72 hours will be reduced to 48 hours. Provisions relating to the identification of individuals through tattoos and body marks will also be removed.
The Government has further proposed removing offences under the Excise Ordinance and copyright-related offences under intellectual property laws from the Bill.
Additionally, a provision requiring prior court approval before publishing information relating to cases involving serious crimes will be withdrawn.
The Court was also informed that amendments concerning the detention of arrested persons and the issuance of detention orders would be considered at a later stage.
A total of 26 petitions were filed before the Supreme Court, challenging several provisions of the proposed legislation on the grounds that they are inconsistent with the Constitution.
The proposed amendments are expected to be presented during the Committee Stage of the parliamentary process.
