The Speaker’s Office has confirmed it has received the Supreme Court’s determination on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill, Hiru News reported. The determination will be announced to Parliament by the Speaker on an upcoming parliamentary day.
Update, 12.22 p.m.: NewsFirst has since fixed that day as Tuesday 22 September — the Speaker “is expected to present the determination to Parliament tomorrow.” That matches the tabling date reported on 19 September, and places the announcement two days before the second reading debate opens.
This is the first confirmation from the Speaker’s own office. Earlier this month the claim that the determination had already been forwarded came from Minister Susil Ranasinghe — a single ministerial voice relayed through several outlets. The office of the recipient has now said so itself.
The parliamentary timetable is already fixed
NewsFirst, filing at 9.44 a.m. before the handover was confirmed, supplies the schedule Hiru omits. The Department of Communications of Parliament has allocated:
- Thursday 24 September, 11.30 a.m. – 7.00 p.m. — second reading debate, day one
- Friday 25 September, 11.30 a.m. – 7.00 p.m. — second reading debate, day two
The debate covers both the 22nd Amendment Bill and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill together. That answers an open question from earlier reporting: the two bills are being taken as a pair.
A Party Leaders’ Meeting chaired by the Speaker was held at 9.00 a.m. on Monday to settle the week’s business.
NewsFirst expected the Speaker to announce the determination on Tuesday (22). Hiru says only “an upcoming parliamentary day”. If Tuesday holds, MPs get two days between learning the court’s ruling and opening the debate on it.
What is still unknown
Neither outlet states the substance of the determination — the only thing about it that matters.
The question before the court was whether the Bill is consistent with the Constitution, and if not, whether it requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament, a referendum, or both. Nothing reported on Monday indicates which way the court ruled, or whether the court proposed amendments that would cure any inconsistency.
Until the Speaker reads it out, the determination is not public. The debate dates are fixed regardless of what it says.
The politics around it
The bill has drawn organised opposition. The SJB has announced a protest for 24 September at Polduwa Junction, Battaramulla — the first day of the debate — under the theme “24 against 22”. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka has been a recurring participant in this year’s judicial-independence debate.
Not reported
Neither outlet says whether the full text of the determination will be published or only summarised, whether the Supreme Court heard petitions against the Bill and how many, or what the government’s numbers are if a special majority is required. Nor does either say what happens to the timetable if the court has found provisions requiring a referendum.
