requests, refer the question to the Supreme Court. (4) a. b. The Rules of Court Committee may make rules with respect to the practice and procedure of the Supreme Court for the purposes of this section; Parliament may confer upon the Supreme Court such powers in addition to those conferred by this section as may appear to Parliament to be necessary or desirable for the purpose of enabling the court more effectively to exercise the jurisdiction conferred upon it by this section. (5) Parliament shall make provision— a. b. for the rendering of financial assistance to any indigent citizen of Sierra Leone where his right under this Chapter has been infringed, or with a view to enabling him to engage the services of a legal practitioner to prosecute his claim; and for ensuring that allegations of infringements of such rights are substantial and the requirement or need for financial or legal aid is real. (6) The Supreme Court— a. b. Public Emergency. consisting of not less than five Justices of the Supreme Court shall consider every question referred to it under this Chapter for a decision, and, having heard arguments by or on behalf of the parties by Counsel, shall pronounce its decision on such question in open court as soon as may be and in any case not later than thirty days after the date of such reference; shall for the purposes of this Chapter, give its decision by a majority of the Justices of that Court and such decision shall be pronounced by the Chief Justice or any other of the Justices as the Court shall direct. 29. (1) Whenever in the opinion of the President a state of public emergency is imminent or has commenced, the President may, at any time, by Proclamation which shall be published in the Gazette, declare that— a. b. a state of public emergency exists either in any part, or in the whole of Sierra Leone; or a situation exists which, if it is allowed to continue, may lead to a state of public emergency in any part of or the whole of Sierra Leone. (2) The President may issue a Proclamation of a state of public emergency only when— a. b. c. d. e. f. Sierra Leone is at war; Sierra Leone is in imminent danger of invasion or involvement in a state of war; or there is actual breakdown of public order and public safety in the whole of Sierra Leone or any part thereof to such an extent as to require extraordinary measures to restore peace and security; or there is a clear and present danger of an actual breakdown of public order and public safety in the whole of Sierra Leone or any part thereof requiring extraordinary measures to avert the same; or there is an occurrence of imminent danger, or the occurrence of any disaster or natural calamity affecting the community or a section of the community in Sierra Leone; or there is any other public danger which clearly constitutes a threat to the existence of Sierra Leone. (3) Every declaration made under subsection (1) shall lapse— a. in the case of a declaration made when Parliament is sitting at the expiration of a period of seven days beginning with the date of publication of the declaration; and b. in any other case, at the expiration of a period of twenty-one days beginning with the date of the declaration, 19