Six more petitions filed challenging 20A

• Petitioners CaFFE Chief Keerthi Tennakoon, TISL Organization, HR activists Abdul Sanun, S. C. C. Ilangovan, Lohini Fernando and Lakmal Jayakody

By Thilini de Silva, Ranjan Katugampola and Farook Thajudeen  

Six more petitions have been filed before the Supreme Court challenging the 20th Amendment to the Constitution bringing the total petitions to 12. The Attorney General has been named as the respondent in relation to the petitions.  

Accordingly, petitions were filed today by Former Governor and the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) Executive Director Ranjith Keerthi Tennakoon, Transparency International Sri Lanka Organisation, Human rights activist Abdul Sanun, S. C. C. Ilangovan, Lohini Fernando and Lakmal Jayakody.   

According to the petition filed by Former Governor Keerthi Tennakoon, he suspected that as a citizen having sufficient and reasonable public interest with regard to the grievances pertaining to and inconsistencies in the amendment.   He contends that the 20th amendment reverse/repeal amend the provisions which place checks of powers of the President which was brought about by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. 

 
It is also alleges that the amendments to the Constitution grants vast powers to the President which is an infringement of the Constitution and the rights of which was not envisaged under the 1978 Constitution.