Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has cleared a bill that seeks to abolish special privileges enjoyed by former presidents. Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne announced this in the Parliament today.
The legislation, titled the Presidents’ Entitlements (Repeal) Bill, repeals the 1986 Act under which ex-presidents and their widows received state-funded housing, transport, staff and secretarial allowances. The Court ruled that the bill does not conflict with the Constitution, dismissing petitions which argued that it curtailed vested rights and required both a two-thirds majority in Parliament and a referendum.
The judgment paves way for Parliament to pass the bill, a key pledge of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government aimed at cutting excessive state spending. While these privileges will end, former presidents will retain their pensions, which remain protected under the Constitution.
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