By The Pulseline News Desk
The Government has acknowledged that the Protection of the State from Terrorism (PST) Bill tabled in Parliament differs from the draft prepared by a committee of technical experts, with Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath defending the changes as part of the normal legislative process.
Responding to a question raised by MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam in Parliament yesterday (9), Herath has reportedly said the Cabinet of Ministers had introduced amendments to the original draft and was not obliged to adopt the committee’s proposals in their original form.
“It is normal practice to change the draft prepared by a committee. It is not compulsory to adopt the draft in its original form. A committee is appointed to facilitate the process,” he has said.
The exchange had followed concerns raised by former Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) President Saliya Pieris, PC, who had served on the technical experts’ committee as a BASL nominee. Pieris has alleged that the Bill presented to Parliament contains significant deviations from the proposals agreed upon by the committee, particularly regarding bail and procedures for extending detention.
Rasamanickam has drawn the Minister’s attention to Pieris’s concerns, questioning the changes made to the draft. He has also argued that certain provisions of the proposed legislation were worse than those in the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
Herath has said the committee’s original draft had reflected differing views among its members, adding that the Cabinet had subsequently introduced additional proposals and amendments.
The Minister has also pointed out that the Bill could be amended further during the Committee Stage of the parliamentary process. He has noted that the Supreme Court could also make determinations on the legislation, which has been challenged before the Court.
Pieris, in a social media post, has said he had identified significant changes after reviewing the Bill tabled in Parliament. He has specifically highlighted the provisions on bail and the procedures governing extensions of detention as areas where the final Bill had departed from the committee’s proposals.
The Government’s acknowledgment that the Bill differs from the experts’ draft comes amid wider scrutiny of the proposed legislation, which is intended to replace the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), a law long criticised by human rights organisations for its broad powers of arrest and detention.
The changes have raised questions about the extent to which the final Bill reflects the recommendations of the technical experts tasked with assisting in its preparation.
With the Bill now before Parliament and subject to legal scrutiny, its provisions could face further debate and amendment as the legislative process continues.
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