COLOMBO, Sept. 2 -- Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Tuesday (Sept 1) rejected a request to have petitions challenging the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution heard by a full bench comprising all sitting Supreme Court judges.

The petitions were taken up before a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, and comprising Justices Achala Wengappuli, Arjuna Obeyesekere, Sampath Abeykoon and Gihan Kulatunga.

The proceedings initially commenced in Court Hall No. 502, where counsel for the petitioners, including President's Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran, requested that the hearing be moved to a larger courtroom due to limited seating.

Counsel said the case had attracted significant public interest and requested that the ...