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20A as urgent bill; CC within two weeks
The 19th Amendment’s provisions including the one that does away with the presentation of urgent bills will become effective only when the term of the next parliament begins after the general elections.
The 19th Amendment, certified on Wednesday by Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, includes the changes made during the Committee stage of the debate before it was passed on April 28. This move would enable the Government to present as an urgent bill the 20th Amendment, which deals with electoral reforms.
The provisions dealing with the setting up of the Judicial Services Commission too will be delayed till the conclusion of the next parliamentary elections. This changes the procedure for the appointment of members to the JSC which will be headed by the Chief Justice and will have two seniormost judges of the Supreme Court as members.
The functioning commissions including the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, the Public Service Commission and others will continue to function under interim provisions that have been inserted into the 19th Amendment, Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said.He said the Government was trying to set up the Constitutional Council within the next two weeks so that the independent commissions could come into effect soon.