Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has determined that three clauses in the Chartered Institute of Media Professionals Bill are inconsistent with constitutional provisions, requiring either amendment or passage by special parliamentary majority.
Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne informed Parliament on 8 September that the Supreme Court has issued its determination on the Bill titled Chartered Institute of Media Professionals of Sri Lanka, which was challenged under Article 121(1) of the Constitution. The Court identified constitutional inconsistencies in three specific clauses while clearing the remaining provisions.
Clause 3(1) was found vague and inconsistent with Articles 12(1) and 14(1)(g). The Court determined the inconsistency would be removed if the clause is deleted, though it may alternatively be passed with a special majority under Article 84(2). Clause 4(o) was similarly ruled inconsistent with the same constitutional articles and would require amendment according to the Court's proposal or passage by special majority. Clause 5(4b) was determined inconsistent with Article 12(1) and requires either amendment as directed by the Court or special majority passage.
All remaining clauses of the Bill were found not to be inconsistent with the Constitution. The determination clears the legislative path subject to the Court's conditions: Parliament may either amend the flagged clauses as proposed by the Supreme Court, or proceed with unamended versions using the constitutional special majority procedure outlined in Article 84(2). The full determination has been ordered entered into the Official Report of parliamentary proceedings.