A petition challenging the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was filed before the Supreme Court by Attorney-at-Law Lal Wijenayake, a member of the Executive Committee of the National People’s Power (NPP).

Wijenayake has sought the Supreme Court to determine that the proposed amendment requires approval by the people at a referendum.

Meanwhile, issuing a statement, Attorney-at-Law Lal Wijenayake said describing opposition to the 22nd Amendment as merely a dispute between the government and the opposition would mislead the public.

According to Wijenayake, the issue concerns the protection of judicial independence and the right of citizens to live in a civilized and democratic society.

He said the question before the public was not whether to protect a particular political party, but whether to preserve for future generations the rights secured through a long-standing struggle for a civilized society.

A separate petition has also been filed by Lawyers for Democracy, an organization of which Wijenayake is a convener and founding member.

The organization has requested the Supreme Court to determine that the proposed 22nd Amendment is inconsistent with Article 3 of the Constitution and therefore requires approval through a referendum.

The deadline for filing petitions challenging the proposed 22nd Amendment is due to expire tomorrow.