Special Determination Petition filed

A special Determination Petition was yesterday filed in the Supreme Court seeking a ruling that certain provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions)(Amendment) Bill presented to Parliament are unconstitutional.

The Petition was filed by the Centre for Policy Alternative and its Executive Director, Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu. The Attorney General has been named as the respondent in the petition.

The petitioners are seeking a declaration that the bill requires the approval by the people at a Referendum in addition to the 2/3 approval of the Parliament. The bill titled “Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) (Amendment) Bill” was placed on the Order Paper of Parliament on February 10, 2022 and this Bill seeks to make several amendments to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The petitioners maintained that the Bill does not address the most fundamental problems with the PTA and explained how the Bill falls short even in the limited areas it seeks to change.