• Claims motive is to influence judicial balance for political purposes

SJB Opposition Parliamentarian, Ajith P Perera alleged that the Government is planning to implement a proposal to extend the retirement age of Supreme Court (SC) Judges before the end of this year.

Speaking on a television programme on Monday (13), Perera claimed the move raises serious concerns. Particularly as no official request for such an amendment has been made by any relevant institution or stakeholder. He said that the Parliament has not been informed of the reason behind the proposed constitutional amendment and that the matter has not been discussed by any Parliamentary committee. "There has been no request from the Chief Justice, SC Judges, Court of Appeal Judges, or the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) to increase the retirement age of SC Judges. The High Court Judges' Association and the BASL are both opposed to it. No one has explained to Parliament why such an amendment is being introduced, nor has it been discussed by any Parliamentary committee," Perera said. Alleging that the proposal has a hidden political motive, he added, "Who is bringing forward this proposal? No one knows. That means that there’s a hidden agenda behind it. We have received a draft prepared by a privately appointed committee. The Government is determined to push this through." Perera further charged that the objective is to influence the balance of the Judiciary for political purposes. "We now know for certain that this is being done to reshape the balance of the Judiciary to suit the Government's political interests. There is also a target to have the amendment passed during the first week of December. That is why this entire process appears highly secretive," he said.

NPP MP Chandana Sooriyarachchi said the Government has a responsibility to strengthen the public service by retaining experienced professionals in key sectors. "The Government has a responsibility to build a strong public service. We need experienced professionals, especially in the judicial sector. Their expertise is essential. That is why proposals have been made from various professional sectors to revise retirement age limits in important professions so that the country can continue to benefit from their experience," he said. Commenting on the proposal concerning judges, Sooriyarachchi stressed that no final decision has been taken by the Government thus far. "The Government has not yet taken a final decision on increasing the retirement age of judges in the judicial sector. However, requests have been received from various parties, and the Government is currently considering those proposals before reaching a final decision," he said.