Government Continues to Review Proposal to Raise Judges' Retirement Age

01-Jul-2026

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The government is continuing to examine a proposal to increase the retirement age of judges in the High Court and the Court of Appeal by two years, according to an English-language media report.

Under the proposal, the retirement age of High Court judges would be increased from 65 to 67 years, while that of Court of Appeal judges would rise from 63 to 65 years. The objective is to retain experienced judges in service for a longer period.

At present, High Court judges retire at 61 years, while District Court judges and Magistrates retire at 60 years. A senior government official said many experienced judges reach retirement age just as they become eligible for promotion, resulting in the higher courts losing valuable judicial expertise.

The official also said that, under a new "bottom-up" recruitment process, 50 new Magistrates will first be appointed to fill existing vacancies, after which four vacancies each in the High Court and the Court of Appeal will be filled.

However, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association have urged the government to immediately withdraw the proposal to extend the retirement age of judges.