Friday Aug 22, 2025
Friday Aug 22, 2025
Friday, 22 August 2025 00:30 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Speaker of Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne yesterday informed the House that he had received copies of three more petitions filed at the Supreme Court, challenging the proposed repeal of Presidential entitlements.
The Parliament Secretariat said that Dr. Wickramaratne had received copies of another three petitions filed at the Supreme Court in terms of Article 121(1) of the Constitution in respect of the Bill titled Presidents’ Entitlements (Repeal).
Earlier this week (19), the Speaker received three petitions filed before the Supreme Court.
On 31 July, the Government published a Gazette notice on a Bill aimed at repealing the Presidents Entitlements Act, No. 4 of 1986.
If passed, the Bill would abolish provisions that grant former Presidents or their widows official residences, monthly allowances, secretarial support, transport facilities, and other benefits outlined in Sections 2 and 3 of the original Act.
It would also discontinue the monthly pension allocated to the widow of a former President under Section 4.
Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has said that the Government considers politics a form of public service, and therefore sees no justification for extending such entitlements, especially the non-contributory nature of the benefits, beyond a President’s term in office. However, pensions and security for former Presidents would remain.
