Sri Lanka's Parliament has passed the Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution with a special majority, bringing the amendment through its decisive parliamentary stage after months of legal and political debate.
At the Second Reading division on September 25, 158 MPs voted in favour and 63 voted against.
Amendments introduced to Clause 2 at the Committee Stage were also approved by the same 158–63 margin.
At the Third Reading, Parliament again voted 158 in favour and 63 against, giving the Bill the constitutionally required special majority.
End of a longer constitutional process
The parliamentary vote follows a process that included petitions challenging the proposed amendment before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had previously determined that the Bill could proceed without a referendum subject to specified changes.
Parliament subsequently held a two-day debate on September 24 and 25 before taking the final vote.
The amendment concerns, among other matters, the retirement framework applicable to judges of the superior courts.
Government representatives argued during the parliamentary debate that the changes would assist the functioning and efficiency of the judiciary.
Opposition parties raised concerns about their possible effect on judicial independence.
Those remain competing political assessments of the reform rather than findings made by the Supreme Court.
Judicature Amendment also passed
Parliament also passed the separate Judicature (Amendment) Bill.
Its Second Reading was approved by 158 votes to 63, while its Third Reading was passed with 158 votes in favour and 62 against.
Continuity
This should UPDATE the existing Sineth News 22nd Amendment article and close the sequence:
petitions → Supreme Court determination → parliamentary debate → final parliamentary vote.
Do not create another general 22nd Amendment explainer if the existing production article provides the correct continuity parent.