Today I heard about a grand wedding of an Indian tycoon (Ambani's son) from a friend of mine, and he showed me some videos of it too. He said famous and powerful people from around the world have been invited to it, and the cost of the event was going to be several Billions (of Indian Rupees or USD, I don't know). If you think about it, India is a country with a higher population of substandard living conditions. There are innocent and miserable children who are forced to work for a mere subsistence, being deprived of education, health facilities, and food and water. I remember a movie based on a true story in which Akshey Kumar was playing the leading role where he makes sanitary towels (pads) for poor women who could not afford it. In such a country, a single wedding event spends billions of money. What a crappy world we are living! You could imagine how much wealth this family has amassed. On the other, this "mental disease" of exorbitant spending must be highly we
CHAPTER XXXII
THE ATTORNEY COMMISSION (ATC)
269.
There shall be the Attorney Commission (in this
Chapter referred to as the “Commission”) which shall consist of three members
appointed by President subject to the provisions of Article 185, all of whom shall
be attorneys-at-law who have had at least fifteen years of proven experience in
criminal law and have worked in the rank of Deputy Solicitor General or higher.
President shall appoint the most senior member of the three members as the
Chairman of the Commission who shall be known as the “Attorney General”, and
other two members shall be known as “Solicitor General” each.
270. Provisions of Articles 186, 187, 188, 190, 193, 194, 202, 203, 223, and paragraph (2) and (6) of Article 184, paragraph (5) of Article 195 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to this Commission.
271. The quorum for any meeting of the Commission shall be all two members.
272.
(1) The Commission shall recruit to exercise,
perform, and discharge its powers, duties, and responsibilities, persons of
various qualifications and competencies.
(2) The Commission shall have the power to hire consultants, experts, interns,
apprentices, and volunteers on fixed-term contracts.
(3) The Commission shall have the power to appoint, promote, transfer, and
exercise disciplinary control and dismissal of such officers referred to in
paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Article.
(4) The topmost ranks of the Officials of the Commission, in order of
superiority shall be the Attorney General (AG), Solicitors General (SG),
Additional Solicitors General (ASG), Deputy Solicitors General (DSG), Assistant
Solicitors General (SSG), Senior State Counsel (SSC), State Counsel (SC), and
Junior State Counsel (JSC). All of these officials shall be attorneys-at-law.
(5) The Commission shall adopt guidelines and internal rules to conduct its business,
and publish such rules and guidelines in the Gazette; and rules and guidelines shall
come into operation by passing it with a Simple Majority in Parliament.
(6) Official of the Commission may be posted as a Judge of High Court.
273. (1) The functions, duties, responsibilities of the Commission shall be:
(a) To
give expert legal advice to the Central and Local Government in respect of any
legal matter;
(b) Under
Article 152, to examine Bills and advise President if any of the clauses are
inconsistent with the provision of the Constitution;
(c) Under
Article 152, to examine Bills and advise Speaker of Parliament if any of the
provisions of such Bill fall within any devolved power in respect of provisions
of Chapter X;
(d) To
have Bills initially drafted by the Legal Draftsman be submitted to the
Commission to check across the three versions of Sinhala, Tamil, and English
copies thereof for inconsistencies among the versions, and to remove such
errors if found; and to check for inconsistency with the Constitution, and work
out such inconsistency in consultation with Cabinet of Ministers;
(e) Under
Article 61 and paragraph 161(1), to have the right to be heard by Supreme Court
and Court of Appeal;
(f) To
advise public officers and State entities who are cited as respondents in a Fundamental
Right petition, and to undertake their defense in cases after a careful
consideration of the observations of such case:
Provided that it shall be the duty of the Commission to enshrine the Fundamental
Rights of the people;
Further provided that where the Commission is of the view that a case warrants
relief to the aggrieved party, the Commission shall advise relevant public
official or the State entity towards resolving such grievance;
Further provided that in case where there are allegations of torture or any
criminal offence as per the provisions of the penal code against public officer
or State entity cited as respondent, the Commission shall decline to represent
such officer or State entity in those proceedings;
(g) To
assist as amicus curiae the Courts in cases of Contempt of Court;
(h) To
prosecute or indict in High Courts;
(i) To
advise Constitutional Council and independent Commissions, if such Council or
commission officially seek such advice;
(j) To exercise other powers, duties, or
responsibilities entrusted to the Commission by enactments in Parliament or State
Assembly;
(k) To advise, direct, and order the Police of Sri
Lanka in legal investigations and proceedings;
(l) To summon any officer of the State to attend
his office with any books and documents in relation to a legal investigation or
proceeding;
(m) To check drafts of international treaty or
agreement or memorandum for inconsistency with the Constitution and the law of
the country:
Provided that such treaty, agreement, or memorandum shall not be signed unless
the Commission ratifies it to be free from any inconsistency with the Constitution
or the law of the country;
(n) To represent the Republic in any civil action filed against the State, a State entity, or a State officer in their official capacity.
(2) The Commission has a duty to court, to the State, and to the People to be wholly detached, wholly independent, wholly professional, and to act impartially with the sole object of establishing the truth, in its all appearances in Courts.
274. Subject to the jurisdiction conferred on Court of Appeal under Article 164 and to the powers granted to Administrative Appeals Tribunal under Article 223, no court or tribunal shall have the power or jurisdiction to inquire into, pronounce upon or in any manner whatsoever call in question any order or decision made by the Commission, in pursuance of any function assigned on such Commission under this Chapter or under any law.
275. No legal prosecution initiated by the Commission shall be revoked unless all the three members assent to revoke such.