The Online Safety Bill under which it is proposed to establish an Online Safety Commission and make provisions to prohibit online communication of certain statements, to prevent use of online accounts and inauthentic accounts for prohibited purposes, was presented to Parliament today by the Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles amidst protest by the Opposition.

Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella questioned why the Minister of Public Security presented the legislation as the subject of media is handled by another Minister.

“Sri Lanka could face resistance internationally because of this legislation as the country is already accused of violating rights,” Kiriella said.

Meanwhile, a crosstalk flared up between the Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapaksa and MP G.L. Peiris on the date which the period given to file objections begins. 

“The 14 day period given to file objections before courts usually begins from the date on which the Bill is entered in the Order Book. This particular Bill came in the order book on September 27. Therefore, seven days of the 14 day period have already gone. This is not a healthy situation,” Professor Peiris said.

The Deputy Speaker who responded said the 14 day period begins from the day the Bill is presented to the House as per Section 121 of the Constitution.

However, Professor Peiris said he would not accept that stance and said he would file legal action against the Bill before the Supreme Court.

Minister of Justice Wijedasa Rajapaksa who joined in the crosstalk said the Bill was originally proposed way back in 2016 during the Yahapalana government. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)