Sri Lanka Government Proposes Controversial Judicial Reform Package

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Colombo: Sri Lanka’s government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, is pressing ahead with a contentious package of judicial reforms aimed at reducing the country’s massive backlog of court cases, but the plan has been met with considerable criticism from legal groups and civil society.

The proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution would increase the retirement age for Supreme Court judges from 65 to 67 and Court of Appeals judges from 63 to 65. It would also set a six-year term limit for the Chief Justice and raise the number of judges on the Court of Appeal from 19 to 24.

According to the administration, the amendments are meant to resolve a judicial backlog of approximately 1.1 million cases and speed up their resolution. Critics argue that extending current judges' tenures could weaken judicial independence and change the leadership of the higher courts.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka has advised the government not to proceed with the modification in its current form, noting that changes to the retirement age could undermine the judiciary's independence.

The plan has thus sparked a broader debate about judicial independence, constitutional safeguards, and the government's approach to reform as it moves forward with the legislation.