Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has found two provisions of the proposed Sri Lanka Cricket Bill inconsistent with the Constitution, ruling that the legislation would require a special parliamentary majority unless amendments identified by the Court are adopted.
Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne announced the determination in Parliament on November 12, 2026.
The Bill had been challenged before the Supreme Court under Article 121(1) of the Constitution.
Two clauses require amendments
According to the Speaker’s announcement, Clause 29 infringes Article 14(1)(c) of the Constitution, which concerns freedom of association.
The Court determined that the clause could be passed only with the special majority specified in Article 84(2), unless the proposed Committee Stage amendment is made.
Clause 7(1) was separately found inconsistent with Article 12(1), which guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of the law.
The Court reached the same conclusion concerning the parliamentary majority required for that provision.
Simple-majority route remains available
The Court determined that the constitutional inconsistencies would cease if Parliament adopted the amendments proposed in its determination.
In that event, the Bill could be passed by a simple majority.
This creates two legislative routes. Parliament could adopt the Court’s changes and proceed under the ordinary voting requirement, or retain the provisions in their present form and face the higher voting threshold identified by the Court.
The determination does not establish that Parliament has already chosen either route.
Other provisions found consistent
The Supreme Court found no constitutional inconsistency in the remaining provisions, subject to the findings concerning Clauses 7(1) and 29.
That distinction matters because the ruling does not invalidate the entire proposed law.
It also does not establish whether the Bill’s wider governance arrangements are desirable or commercially effective. Those questions remain matters for parliamentary examination.
Exact amendments require scrutiny
The parliamentary announcement identifies the affected clauses and constitutional articles but does not reproduce the full wording of the Court’s proposed amendments.
The precise effect on cricket administration will depend on that wording and the final text adopted by Parliament.
No enactment date was announced as part of the Speaker’s statement.
The determination establishes the constitutional conditions for the Bill’s passage. It does not mean the legislation has become law.
