Senior Buddhist clergy have backed legal professionals in their opposition to the government's proposal to extend the retirement age of judges, citing concerns over judicial independence and systemic reform.
The heads of Sri Lanka's three Buddhist Nikayas have formally opposed the government's plan to extend the retirement age of judges by two years, according to the Malwatte Mahanayake Thera. The religious leaders communicated their stance through a letter to the President, joining legal professionals who have raised similar objections to the proposal.
A delegation from the Free Lawyers met with the Malwatte Mahanayake Thera over the weekend to discuss matters affecting the independence of the judiciary. Attorneys including Maitri Gunaratne and Siral Lakthilaka attended the meeting. Mr. Gunaratne characterized the retirement age extension for Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges as damaging to judicial independence, comparing it to an indirect incentive that compromises the system's integrity.
The legal community has questioned whether extending retirement ages for senior judges alone addresses the country's underlying judicial challenges. With approximately 800,000 cases pending in lower courts out of 1.1 million total cases nationally, lawyers argue that the proposal fails to tackle systemic problems. They contend that meaningful reform requires increased infrastructure, staffing, and additional judges in Magistrates' Courts and District Courts, not merely prolonging the tenure of higher court justices.
Beyond the immediate judicial concerns, the Free Lawyers have raised broader governance issues. They point to severe prison overcrowding, with facilities holding nearly 41,000 inmates against a capacity of approximately 14,000, combined with what they describe as arbitrary government actions. These conditions, they warn, could create conditions for social unrest similar to previous public movements.
