Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, on April 22, in a gazette notification declared a State of Emergency in Sri Lanka to maintain public security and essential services, reports Colombo Page. The Extraordinary Gazette notification stating that the clauses that deal with the Prevention of Terrorism will be brought under Emergency Regulations has been issued on April 122 midnight. The President's office had announced that the nationwide emergency law, which gives Police and the military new powers to detain and interrogate suspects without a court's approval, will be effective from midnight April 22. The decision to gazette the antiterrorism regulations was taken at the National Security Council meeting presided over by the President on April 21.
Meanwhile, the bill on the emergency law will be presented before the parliament for debate on April 24 at a parliamentary session between 10 am and 4 pm.