JO asks President to seek SC opinion on OMP Bill

The Joint Opposition today urged President Maithripala Sirisena in a letter to seek the opinion of the Supreme Court (SC) over the constitutionality of the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) Bill before it is debated in Parliament.

The controversial Bill is scheduled to be debated in Parliament tomorrow.

JO member MP Udaya Gammanpila charged the OMP was a death trap created violating the Constitution and admitted that they had failed to challenge the Bill in the Supreme Court.

“We should have challenged the OMP Bill similar to the case filed against the VAT Amendment Bill. We made a mistake. However, challenging the Bill is not the only and last resort we have. According to section 129 (i) of the Constitution, the President has the right to inquire into the legitimacy of the OMP,” he told a news conference.(Lahiru Pothmulla)