President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is scheduled to meet with a Bar Association of Sri Lanka delegation today to discuss the government's 22nd Amendment, which extends retirement ages for superior court judges, though sources indicate neither side is expected to shift positions.

The NPP government has moved forward with gazettal of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which would extend the retirement ages of superior court judges. President Dissanayake is scheduled to meet with a high-level Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) delegation today at the Presidential Secretariat at 1 pm, according to sources familiar with the matter. The delegation will be led by BASL President Rajeev Amarasuriya.

The BASL has consistently opposed the amendment since May, when it formally requested an audience with the President to explain its position. The association argues that there is no compelling institutional necessity to alter the constitutional provisions governing judicial retirement ages, which have remained unchanged since the 1978 Constitution. The Bar Association has also noted that Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara declined to respond to its concerns raised in correspondence.

Both the BASL and opposition parties dispute the government's stated rationale for the amendment. The administration has claimed the measure is necessary to address a backlog of 1.1 million cases in the court system. However, critics contend that most of these cases are concentrated in Magistrates and District courts rather than superior courts, making the extension of retirement ages for higher court judges an inappropriate solution. The BASL has advocated instead for a structured consultation process involving the government and stakeholders to tackle the underlying backlog problem.

Sources suggest that both parties are unlikely to alter their positions during today's meeting, despite the direct engagement between the President and the legal profession's representatives.