On October 18th, the Attorney General notified the Supreme Court that the government had decided to change a number of the Online Safety Bill’s provisions.
When petitions contesting the legislation were taken up in court today, the Additional Solicitor General, speaking on behalf of the Attorney General, informed the Supreme Court that the pertinent revisions are consequently scheduled to be offered to the parliament at the Committee Stage.
Three Supreme Court justices, Justices Priyantha Jayawardena, Shiran Gunaratne, and Achala Wengappuli, heard the case during the hearing.
The three-judge bench’s president, Justice Priyantha Jayawardena, announced in open court that around 50 petitions have already been submitted in opposition to the Online Safety Bill.
The proposed legislation has been the subject of 45 petitions, according to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, who spoke earlier this morning in parliament.
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.
