Cabinet approval for proposed changes to 20th Amendment

The Cabinet of Ministers has granted its approval for the changes to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution that are to be tabled in the committee stage in the Parliament.

Minister of Justice had presented the proposed changes to the recent Cabinet meeting, taking into account the secret decision of the Supreme Court on the aforesaid bill.

Further, it was decided that the provisions relating to the following matters should also be included in the committee stage of parliament on the 20th amendment to the Constitution at this Cabinet meeting:

-Provisions to increase the number of Judges in the Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeal considering the large number of cases pending thereof.

-Provisions to submit to parliament only the acts relevant to the matters that emerge out of the National Security and Disasters Considering as the Urgent Acts.

-Provisions for the Auditor-General to delegate the authority to audit a public corporation or the companies which hold 50 percent or more of the shares by the government or a public corporation.

-Inclusion of the same provisions of the 19th Amendment into the 20th Amendment regarding the determination of the number of Cabinet Ministers, the number of non-Cabinet Ministers and the number of Deputy Ministers.

On its meeting held in early September, the Cabinet gave the nod to publish the 20th Amendment draft bill in the Government Gazette and to present it to the House for approval.