Judges’ retirement age bill open to parliamentary challenge, says Nalinda
COLOMBO – Cabinet Spokesman and Minister of Health and Mass Media Nalinda Jayatissa said the government’s proposed constitutional amendment to extend the retirement age of judges will be open to debate and opposition once it is gazetted and presented to Parliament.
Speaking at the post-Cabinet media briefing held on Tuesday (4) at the Department of Government Information, Jayatissa said the legislative process would provide an opportunity for all parties to express their views before the proposal becomes law.
He was responding to a question on Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa’s proposal to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee to examine reforms to the judicial system and measures to expedite the hearing of court cases.
“It is unclear whether Sajith Premadasa has only now woken up to this issue, or whether he has put forward this proposal on the advice of the two lawyers, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Namal Rajapaksa,” Jayatissa said.
He noted that discussions on judicial reforms have been ongoing for more than a decade and said the government is now implementing recommendations made by committees appointed in previous years.
“Once the draft constitutional amendment to extend the retirement age of judges is published in the Gazette, it will be presented to Parliament. At that stage, anyone will have the opportunity to voice objections and argue against it. Only after that process will the legislation be enacted,” he said.
The government’s proposal to extend the retirement age of judges has drawn criticism from opposition parties, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and several civil society groups, who have raised concerns over its potential impact on judicial independence. The government, however, maintains that the measure is intended to retain experienced judges and help address the backlog of court cases.
-ENCL
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