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Northern polls: SC to decide on constitutionality of urgent bill
The Supreme Court on Tuesday will examine the constitutionality of the Registration of Electors (Special Provisions) Bill that seeks to enable internally-displaced people to vote in the electoral districts where they had their permanent residencies in the Northern Province.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Mohan Peiris and Justices Sathya Hettige and Rohini Marasinghe will go through the bill and communicate its decision to the President and the Speaker before it is presented in Parliament on Thursday as an urgent bill.
The President has referred the bill to the Supreme Court in terms of Article 122(1) of the Constitution as an urgent Bill as the Government seeks to hold the Northern Provincial Council elections in September.
In terms of the Bill those who were displaced from the North between May 1, 1983 and May 18, 2009 will be able to register to vote, if they have not been registered as voters in any other electoral district.
It seeks to amend the current Registration of Electors Act No. 44 of 1980 which does not provide for the displaced people to register as voters in the Northern Province districts where they had their permanent residencies.
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