Supreme Court Faces Legal Challenge Over Omission of Eight Petitions Against 22nd Amendment

A fresh legal action has been filed in Sri Lanka's Supreme Court demanding answers over how eight petitions challenging the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution were overlooked and never scheduled for a hearing.

The move has cast a spotlight on the court's administrative processes, with petitioners questioning whether proper procedure was followed in listing cases related to the landmark constitutional amendment.

Action Filed Against Senior Court Officials

Two of the original petitioners who filed challenges against the 22nd Amendment — identified as Dias Bandaralage Ajith Shantha Kumara Jayathilaka and Gunathilakage Dakum Dular — have taken the bold step of filing action against the Registrar of the Supreme Court and other relevant parties, seeking a formal explanation for the exclusion of the petitions from the court calendar.

The petitioners contend that their submissions, along with those of six others, were never called up for hearing despite being duly filed, raising serious concerns about transparency and due process within the country's highest court.

Questions Over Constitutional Due Process

The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which was passed by Parliament, attracted significant legal scrutiny from various quarters, with numerous parties filing petitions before the Supreme Court raising constitutional objections. The revelation that eight such petitions were never listed for consideration has prompted alarm among legal observers.

Critics argue that every petition submitted through the proper legal channels must be afforded a fair opportunity to be heard, and that any administrative failure resulting in their omission undermines public confidence in the judiciary.

The petitioners are seeking a clear and accountable explanation as to why their challenges against the 22nd Amendment were never brought before the court for consideration.

The matter is expected to draw considerable attention from the legal community and civil society, as it touches on fundamental questions of access to justice and the integrity of Sri Lanka's constitutional review process.

Further developments are anticipated as the Supreme Court is called upon to address the concerns raised by this latest filing.