The Frontline Socialist Party’s Pubudu Jayagoda has alleged that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is using superficial concessions to hide critical legal flaws in the Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill.
The FSP’s Education Secretary made these remarks in response to the President announcing minor amendments to the draft legislation during an interfaith convention last week.
Official revisions proposed by the government include shortening initial suspect detention limits from 72 to 48 hours, removing references to physical tattoos, and dropping offences linked to the Excise Ordinance.
Jayagoda warned that these statutory adjustments fail to protect basic constitutional rights and judicial independence.
Under existing criminal law, law enforcement officers require reasonable suspicion of an actual offense before making an arrest.
Jayagoda pointed out that the new draft replaces this safeguard with vague criteria involving physical appearance, personal associations, internet communications, and local slang.
Substantial concerns were also raised regarding clauses that allow executive authorities to enforce prolonged detentions without judicial oversight.
Provisions within the draft permit detention orders to be renewed for up to twelve months.
Magistrates would be stripped of their discretionary power to grant bail even when an arrest lacks sufficient legal grounds.
Furthermore, critics noted that while the administration agreed to engage with human rights organisations on select provisions, wider anti-terror laws and other non-violent statutory offences remain intact within the proposal.
The Supreme Court has already begun hearing 26 petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the bill.
