The Speaker of Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne informed Parliament that he had received the Supreme Court’s determination regarding the Bill titled the Chartered Institute of Media Professionals of Sri Lanka, which had been challenged before the Supreme Court under Article 121(1) of the Constitution.
According to the determination, Clause 3.1 of the Bill is vague and inconsistent with Articles 12(1) and 14(1)(g) of the Constitution. The clause may therefore be passed only with the special majority required under Article 84(2), unless it is omitted.
The Supreme Court further determined that Clause 4.0 is inconsistent with Articles 12(1) and 14(1)(g) and may only be passed with the required special majority. The inconsistency would cease if the clause is amended as proposed by the court, he said.
Clause 5.4(b) was also found to be inconsistent with Article 12(1) of the Constitution and may only be passed with the special majority required under Article 84(2). The court stated that the inconsistency would cease if Clause 5.0 is amended as proposed.
The Supreme Court determined that the remaining clauses of the Bill are not inconsistent with the Constitution.
Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne subsequently ordered that the full determination of the Supreme Court be printed in the Official Report of the day’s parliamentary proceedings.
