SC says Divi Neguma Bill needs PC sanction

The Supreme Court has informed Parliament that the Divi Neguma Bill has to first go through the provincial councils before it can be allowed.

Court had noted that the bill needed to be passed by the Provincial Councils because it dealt with powers that fall under the purview of the regional bodies.

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa announced the determination during the afternoon session of Parliament on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a group of protestors demonstrated along Parliament Road in support of the Divi Neguma Bill, which seeks to replace the Samurdhi Authority enabling thousands employed on the programme to become fully fledged public servants.

The Supreme Court in late August took up three petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Economic Development Ministry’s Divi Neguma Bill, which was deemed by petitioners to be “vague and uncertain”.

The three-judge bench that heard submissions comprised Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake and Justices Priyasath Dep and S.E. Wanasundera. The petitions were filed by Chamara Madumma Kaluge, General Secretary of the Samurdhi Development Officers’ Union, the Centre for Policy Alternatives, and Wijitha Nanayakkara.

The bill seeks to repeal the Southern Development Authority, the Udarata Development Authority, and the Samurdhi Development Authority, transferring their powers and functions to the Department of Divi Neguma Development. This new department would function countrywide.