Sri Lanka's Justice Minister has rejected concerns that extending judges' retirement age threatens judicial independence, framing the proposal as part of broader reforms to address a backlog of over 1.1 million cases.

Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has defended the government's plan to extend the statutory retirement age for judges, characterizing the initiative as a necessary step to improve court efficiency rather than a threat to judicial independence. Speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing, the Minister emphasized that retaining experienced judges would help reduce the substantial backlog of pending cases while the judiciary undergoes wider structural reforms.

The retirement age extension is part of a comprehensive package of judicial reforms that also targets staffing issues, court administration, and departments including the Government Analyst's Office and the Attorney General's Department. Minister Nanayakkara highlighted that Sri Lanka currently has approximately 20 judges per million people, significantly fewer than the 40 to 60 judges per million found in many developed nations. He attributed the accumulation of cases partly to insufficient planning in judicial staffing over the past decade and a half.

The proposed amendments would apply uniformly across all judicial levels, including the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, district courts, and magistrates' courts, through modifications to the Judicature Act. Minister Nanayakkara noted that similar proposals had been raised previously by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and other stakeholders, and that judicial concerns would be considered during implementation. In response to independence concerns, the Minister stated the reform targets no specific court or individual but represents a system-wide approach to judicial modernization.

The Cabinet has approved proceeding with drafting constitutional and legislative amendments to implement the retirement age increase alongside measures to expand the total number of judges.