Regardless of repeated calls by the Opposition for all available judges of the Supreme Court to hear petitions challenging the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, the SC yesterday (31) announced a five-member bench to hear the petitions. The Supreme Court is scheduled to take up petitions today (01). Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena will serve as its head. The other members of the bench include Justices Achala Wengappuli, Arjuna Obeyesekere, Sampath Abeykoon and Gihan Kulatunga.

Convenor of the Janathawadi Joint Opposition, Prof. G. L. Peiris, on Sunday (30) said that they were suspicious of a possible attempt to put off the next presidential election. The former External Affairs Minister said that they were also seriously concerned about the holding of the next parliamentary polls.

He said so at a meeting held in Galle in support of the Opposition efforts against the 22nd Constitutional Amendment.

Referring to numerous NPP members declaring that they intended to remain in power for 20 to 25 years, Prof. Peiris pointed out that the enactment of the proposed Amendment would jeopardise the long-standing political party system. Underscoring the threat posed by what he called democratic backsliding, the former Minister warned that the possibility of the NPP seeking to put off national elections couldn’t be disregarded.

Presidential and parliamentary polls are due every five years. The last presidential and parliamentary polls were held in September and November, 2024, respectively.

Prof. Peiris pointed out that the NPP has already declared that the long delayed Provincial Council polls wouldn’t be held. The academic explained how the NPP, through the enactment of the 22nd Amendment, could take hold of the judiciary. If it were to happen, it would be the end of democracy here, Prof. Peiris warned, emphasising the need to oppose the NPP’s steady march towards dictatorship.

The real issue was not the move to extend the retirement ages of superior court judges as well as judges of other courts, including High Court but the clandestine machinations to make the judiciary part of the political apparatus, Prof. Peiris said.

Referring to the recent retirement of the senior justice of the Court of Appeal, Dhammika Ganepola, and the impending retirement of the senior-most justice of the Court of Appeal, justice R. Gurusinghe, Prof. Peiris demanded to know why they were not promoted to the Supreme Court. Lashing out at the government over its retirement of several superior court judges during the past several months, the ex-Minister alleged that the 22nd Amendment was not meant to address the real issues faced by the judiciary but a transparent political strategy but to extend the term of government through underhand means.

Prof. Peiris compared the ongoing constitutional crisis and the way Murdhu Fernando, who served as the Chief Justice, during December 2024 to July 2025, retired without any issue. According to Prof. Peiris , the government created a catastrophic situation by seeking to extend the retirement ages of some at the expense of judicial independence. (SF)

On behalf of the Doctors’ Trade Union Alliance for Medical and Civil Rights, Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, yesterday (31), lodged a complaint with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) alleging the government’s failure to recover compensation owed to Sri Lanka in connection with the X-Press Pearl disaster.

Dr. Sanjeewa told the media that the Supreme Court, in a judgment delivered in 2025 by a five-member bench, headed by the then Chief Justice Murdu Fernando, had determined that the X-Press Pearl disaster resulted in a violation of fundamental rights and ordered that US$1 billion be paid to the government of Sri Lanka.

But, so far, only USD I million had been received, Dr. Sanjeewa said. The civil society activist said that his alliance had called for a comprehensive investigation into the reasons for the failure to recover the funds under the present administration.