COLOMBO
The deadline for submitting petitions challenging or supporting the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution is set to expire tomorrow.
So far, a total of 30 petitions have been submitted to the Supreme Court in connection with the proposed amendment.
Of those, three petitions have been filed in support of the amendment, while 27 have been filed against it.
The 22nd Constitutional Amendment Bill was gazetted two weeks ago and subsequently presented to Parliament.
Following its presentation, the Chief Justice is expected to appoint a Supreme Court bench to consider whether the proposed amendment has been presented in accordance with the Constitution and to determine the procedure under which it should be passed by Parliament.
Under the Constitution, if the constitutionality of the proposed amendment is challenged before the Supreme Court through one or more petitions, the Court has a period of three weeks to consider the matter.
Following the review, the Supreme Court bench will submit its determination on the constitutionality of the proposed amendment to the Speaker of Parliament.
