Sri Lanka's government plans to present a 22nd Constitutional Amendment and related legislation on August 18 that would extend retirement ages for judges across multiple courts and increase judicial capacity.
The Sri Lankan government intends to introduce proposed constitutional and legislative changes to Parliament on August 18 aimed at reforming the judicial system's structure and operations. The initiatives include a 22nd Constitutional Amendment focused on senior judiciary retirement ages and a separate Judicature Bill addressing lower court judges.
Under the constitutional amendment, Supreme Court judges would retire at age 67, while Court of Appeal judges could serve until 65. The Chief Justice would step down upon reaching 67 years old or completing six years in the position, whichever occurs first. The amendment also proposes expanding the Court of Appeal from 19 to 24 judges. The related Judicature Bill would raise the retirement age for High Court judges to 63 and District Judges and Magistrates to 62, while increasing the total number of High Court judges to 120.
Government officials have stated that these reforms are intended to accelerate case resolution, reduce the backlog of pending matters, and enable greater utilization of experienced judicial officers. Following the August 18 first reading, a 14-day period will allow citizens and organizations to challenge the constitutionality of the measures through the Supreme Court.
The constitutional amendment will require a two-thirds parliamentary majority, pending Supreme Court determination of constitutional requirements, while the Judicature Bill may be passed by simple majority unless the court determines otherwise.
