The Supreme Court yesterday permitted Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith to make submissions through his counsel as intervenient petition with regard to the bill titled Holidays (Amendment) Bill which envisages to impose restrictions on conducting tuition classes on Sundays and Poya Days.
In his intervenient petition, Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith sought a determination that none of the clauses of the bill titled ‘Holidays (Amendment) are inconsistent with Article 84 (2) and need not be approved by the people at a referendum by virture of the provision of Article 83.
Filing an intervenient petition through his counsel Shammil Perera PC, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith stated that the holding of tuition classes on Sunday morning would seriously hamper the freedom of the child to attend Daham Pasals.
Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith observed that tuition classes have become a big business and is also an insult to the country’s education system. The Cardinal further observed that young people are often subjected to exposure to obscene language, innuendos and anti-social behaviour by these tuition classes.
Meanwhile, The Supreme Court yesterday concluded arguments put forward in support and against this bill.
Later on, the Supreme Court’s determination over the proposed bill is to be communicated to the Speaker. The Supreme Court bench comprised Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justice Gamini Amarasekera.
The objective of the Bill is to impose restrictions on conducting tuition classes on Sundays and Poya Days.
The petitioner Sudath Diyaguarachchci, a tuition teacher by profession stated that the concerned bill was presented to Parliament and placed on the Order Paper of Parliament on July 23, 2019.
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