The Supreme Court has finalised its consideration of the petitions submitted in opposition to the hotly contested Online Safety Bill, which the government recently introduced in the parliament.
The three-judge Supreme Court bench, made up of Justices Priyantha Jayawardena, Achala Vengapulli, and Shiran Gunaratne, heard the cases.
As a result, President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena would be informed of the judge bench’s private decision regarding the pertinent petitions.
The Speaker of the House disclosed during the October 18th parliamentary session that a total of 45 petitions had been submitted against the proposed legislation.
Social activist and independent journalist Tharindu Uduwaragedara, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the Socialist Youth Union (SYU), Rehan Jayawickrama of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), Saliya Peiris and Geoffrey Alagaratnam, both former presidents of the BASL, National People’s Power (NPP) MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, and Prof. G.L. Peiris of the Freedom People’
According to the petitioners’ request, if the necessary bill were to be passed, it would need to receive two-thirds of the vote in parliament and then pass a referendum.
The Online Safety Bill, which was published in the government gazette on September 18, aims to stifle the funding and other support of the communication of false statements as well as other related issues. It also prohibits the use of online accounts, both real and fake, for the use of prohibited activities.
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) have all expressed concern about the Bill’s problematic elements. The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), which is made up of numerous tech giants including Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Yahoo, the ICJ, and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka have also expressed concern.
