Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka with Amendments incorporated up to the 21st Amendment
Recent Amendments
- Twenty First Amendment to the Constitution
- Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution
- Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution
- Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution
Amendments up to the Seventeenth Amendment
1st Amendment – Certified – 20/11/1978
Amendment of Article 140 to make provisions that the jurisdiction conferred on the Court of Appeal with regard to some cases shall be exercised by the Supreme Court and not by the Court of Appeal.
2nd Amendment – Certified – 26/02/1979
Substitution of sub-paragraph (ii) in paragraph (d) of Article 161 to deal with the procedure regarding the resignation, expulsion or otherwise of the Members of Parliament.
3rd Amendment – Certified – 27/08/1982
- Insertion of paragraph (3 A) and repeal of paragraph (4) of Article 31 to make provisions for the President to declare his intension of appealing to the people for a mandate to hold office for a further term, at any time after the expiration of four years of his first term of office.
- Amendment of Article 38 to make provisions for the President’s office shall become vacant if he willfully fails to assume office within two weeks of his term of office.
Amendment of Article 160 regarding the holding of office of the President.
4th Amendment – Certified – 23/12/1982
Amendment of Article 161 to extend the duration of the First Parliament for another period of six years, i.e. until August 04, 1989.
5th Amendment – Certified – 25/02/1983
Amendment of Article 161 to make provisions to hold a by-election if the Secretary of the relevant Political Party fails to nominate a Member for a vacancy in the First Parliament.
6th Amendment – Certified – 08/08/1983
- Amendment of Article 101 to give reference to Article 157A, which has been inserted after Article 157.
- Insertion of Article 157A regarding the prohibition against violation of territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.
- Amendment of Article 161 giving reference to the above Article 157A and the Seventh Schedule which has been added to the Constitution.
- Addition of Seventh Schedule to include a declaration and affirmation with regard to Article 157A.
7th Amendment – Certified – 04/10/1983
- Amendment of Article 5 to increase the administrative districts upto 25 and amendment of Article 96 to increase electoral districts upto 25 by the creation of Kilinochchi.
- Insertion of Article 111A regarding the appointment of Commissioners of High Court.
Amendment of First Schedule to the addition of Kilinochchi as an administrative district.
8th Amendment – Certified – 06/03/1984
- Amendment of Article 33 to extend the powers of the President to appoint Senior Attorneys-at-Law as President’s Counsels with privileges enjoyed by a Queen’s Counsel.
- Amendment of Article 136 according to the amended Article 33.
Insertion of Article 169A regarding the Queen’s Counsel and Senior Attorneys-at-Law.
9th Amendment – Certified – 24/08/1984
Amendment of Article 91 to adjust the salary scales of Public Servants who are not qualified to be elected as Members of Parliament.
10th Amendment – Certified – 06/08/1986
Amendment of Article 155 to remove the requirement of two-third majority for a Proclamation under the Public Security Ordinance.
11th Amendment – Certified – 06/05/1987
- Amendment of Article 111 to remove First Instance criminal jurisdiction from the High Court.
- Amendment of Article 112 to make provisions to Judicial Services Commission to make rules in respect of scheduled public officers as well.
- Insertion of Article 113A to create the post of a Fiscal who shall exercise supervision and control over Deputy Fiscals attached to all courts of first instance.
- Amendment of Article 114 to restrict the power of the Secretary of the Judicial Services Commission to transfer scheduled public officers only, and to include Fiscals also to the scheduled public officers.
- Amendment of Article 146 to reduce the number of judges who shall constitute each Bench.
- Amendment of Fifth Schedule to replace Fiscals by Deputy Fiscals.
12th Amendment (Not enacted.)
It was presented in the First Parliament by Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena, M.P. on 25/09/1987 but was not proceeded as the Ministerial Report was not forwarded under S.O. 47 (5).
13th Amendment – Certified – 14/11/1987
- Amendment of Article 18 to make Tamil as an official language and English as a link language.
- Amendment of Article 138 regarding the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal.
Insertion of Chapter XVII A including the Articles 154 A to 154 T to make provisions for the establishment of a Provincial Council for each Province. - Amendment of Article 155 regarding the making of emergency regulations under the Public Security Ordinance.
- Amendment of Article 170 to include statutes made by Provincial Councils also under the definition of written law.
- Insertion of the Eighth Schedule to name the nine Provinces and the Ninth Schedule to describe the Provincial Council List, the Reserved List and the Concurrence List.
14th Amendment – Certified – 24/05/1988
- Amendment of Article 35 to give exemptions to the immunities of President on certain law suits.
- Amendment of Article 62 to increase the number of Members of Parliament upto 225.
- Amendment of Article 80 to include conditions where a certificate on a Bill shall not be endorsed by the President where there is a referendum petition.
- Insertion of Article 96A regarding the establishment of a Delimitation Commission and division of electoral districts into zones.
- Amendment of Article 98 to give effect to the Article 96 A.
Replacement of Article 99 to implement the proportional representation system.
Insertion of Article 99A regarding the election of 29 Members of Parliament from the - National List on the basis of the total number of votes polled by each party and independent group at a General Election.
- Amendment of Article 130 to expand the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court with regard to the election petitions including referendum petitions.
15th Amendment – Certified – 17/12/1988
- Repeal of Article 96A to cancel the division of electoral districts into zones.
- Amendment of Article 98 regarding the certification made by the Commissioner of Elections, of the number of members which each electoral district is entitled to return.
- Amendment of Article 99 to reduce the cut-off point in the proportional representation system from one eighth to one twentieth and to the cancellation of the division of electoral districts into zones.
- Amendment of Article 99A to ensure whether the number of members elected to parliament belonging to any community, ethnic or otherwise is commensurate with its national population ratio.
16th Amendment – Certified – 17/12/1988
- Amendment of Article 20 to enable Members of Provincial Councils also to use either of the National Languages to discharge their duties.
- Replacement of Articles 22 and 23 to make Sinhalese and Tamil as the languages of administration and as languages of legislation.
- Amendment of Article 24 to make Sinhala and Tamil as the languages of courts.
- Insertion of Article 25A to make provisions of this Chapter to prevail in the event of any inconsistency with the provisions of any other law.
17th Amendment – Certified – 03/10/2001
- Insertion of Chapter VII A including the Articles 41A to 41H for the establishment of the Constitutional Council.
- Insertion of Chapter IX related to the Public Service Commission.
- Amendment of Article 65 regarding the appointments made by the President.
- Insertion of Chapter XIVA related to the Election Commission.
- Insertion of Chapter XVA related to the Judicial Service Commission.
- Insertion of Chapter XVIIIA related to the National Police Commission.
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