Further consideration of petitions against Port City Commission Bill postponed again

The Supreme Court today postponed the further consideration of petitions filed against the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Draft Bill, until tomorrow morning. 

Ada Derana reporter said the petitions will be taken up for further consideration from 9.30 a.m. tomorrow (22).

The petitions had been taken up for the third consecutive day this morning (21) before a five-member bench consisting of Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Supreme Court Judges Buwaneka Aluvihare, Priyantha Jayawardena, Murdu Fernando and Janak de Silva.

Nearly 20 petitions had been submitted against the Draft Bill by many parties including Chairman of United National Party (UNP) Vajira Abeywardena, UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara, former Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MP Wasantha Samarasinghe, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), the Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA), General Secretary of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Ranjith Madduma Bandara, and Chairman of the IT Professionals Association G. Kapila Renuka.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Prof. G. L. Peiris, SLPP General Secretary Attorney at Law Sagara Kariyawasam, and the legal association of the SLPP had filed interim petitions to make submissions regarding the petitions.

The petitioners claim that certain clauses of the relevant Bill have violated the country’s Constitution. Hence, they are seeking a court order ruling that the clauses in the Bill must be passed by a two-thirds majority in Parliament and a referendum.