COLOMBO – President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is scheduled to meet representatives of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) on Wednesday (12) to discuss the government’s controversial proposal to increase the retirement age of judges.
The meeting, scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Presidential Secretariat, follows strong opposition from the BASL, which has unanimously rejected the proposed changes to the judges’ retirement age and warned of their potential impact on judicial independence.
The government has gazetted the Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution, which proposes increasing the mandatory retirement age of Supreme Court judges from 65 to 67 and that of Court of Appeal judges from 63 to 65.
The amendment also proposes that the Chief Justice retire upon reaching 67 or completing six years in office, whichever comes first.
A separate Bill to amend the Judicature Act has also been gazetted to extend by two years the terms of judges of the High Court, District Courts and Magistrate’s Courts.
The BASL has strongly opposed the proposals, with its President Rajeev Amarasuriya saying the legal profession was firmly against the move.
At a Special General Meeting held in July, BASL members unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the proposed extension of the judges’ retirement ages, and also warned that altering the tenure of serving judges could undermine judicial independence and public confidence in the judiciary.
A BASL delegation led by Amarasuriya subsequently met Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara to raise its concerns and urged the government to withdraw the proposal.
The Association also had previously communicated its objections to the government and called for the proposed constitutional amendment to be suspended pending comprehensive consultation with the legal profession and other stakeholders.
-ENCL
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