15 bills passed in 28 sittings as Parliament enters recess

The Parliament has gone into recess today after extending its session by three days to complete work on several key bills.

The last session of the year was originally scheduled to end on December 1, but Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla announced the extension to ensure the passage of pending legislation deemed important for governance and public services.

One of the most significant bills passed in the final sitting was an amendment to the Drugs Act, enabling the Supreme Court bench to unanimously impose the death penalty on individuals convicted of smuggling or trafficking drugs.

Speaker Abdul Raheem said the 20th Parliament remains committed to avoiding recess periods whenever major government related or public service related bills are pending.

“So far, we have closed the session, and the work on important bills has been completed,” he said.

According to statistics shared by the Speaker, the Parliament’s final session of the year saw:

The 15 bills passed include the Special Economic Zone Act, the Higher Education and Training Act, the Trademark Bill, and the Judiciary Act, along with amendments to the Constitution and the Decentralization Act.