His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, has taken a significant step by filing a petition before the Supreme Court to challenge the proposed Online Safety Bill. According to reports by Ada Derana, the petition seeks a declaration from the court, asserting that the bill is in violation of the Constitution of Sri Lanka.

The Attorney General has been named as one of the respondents in this legal action. The petition, on behalf of Cardinal Ranjith, contends that specific clauses within the proposed bill restrict fundamental human rights, including the right to freedom of speech and, notably, the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution of Sri Lanka.

One of the primary concerns raised in the petition is the establishment of a commission for the regulation of social media through this bill. The petition alleges that the bill allows for the appointment of commission members to be solely at the discretion of the president. Cardinal Ranjith has voiced apprehension in the petition that this grants the president the authority to both appoint and remove commission members as per his discretion.

Furthermore, the petition underscores that the bill, if implemented, would enable the government to impose restrictions on people's right to access information. As a result, the petitioner is seeking a court order that would declare a two-thirds majority in Parliament and a referendum as necessary requirements for the bill to be passed.