The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka yesterday rejected a request to have the unprecedented 67 petitions challenging the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution heard by a full bench. The request was made by President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran on behalf of a petitioner and supported by several other senior lawyers, including Saliya Pieris, Ali Sabry, and Geoffrey Alagaratnam. Chief Justice Surasena, however, decided the petitions would proceed before the existing five-member bench, which includes Justices Achala Wengappuli, Arjuna Obeyesekere, Sampath Abeykoon, and Gihan Kulatunga.