Government plans to extend retirement age of judges by year-end; Ajith P. Perera

16-Jul-2026

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The government is planning to implement a proposal to extend the retirement age of Supreme Court judges before the end of this year. United People’s Power (Samagi Jana Balawegaya) Parliamentarian Ajith P. Perera said that Parliament has neither been informed about the proposal nor has it been discussed before any parliamentary committee.

Speaking further on the matter, he said:

“The fact that the government has taken such action without any official request from any institution or stakeholder connected with this matter to amend the existing provisions raises serious concerns.

Parliament has not been informed of the reasons behind this proposed constitutional amendment. It has also not been discussed before any parliamentary committee.

Neither the Chief Justice, Supreme Court judges, Court of Appeal judges nor the Bar Association of Sri Lanka have requested an increase in the retirement age of Supreme Court judges. Both the Association of High Court Judges and the Bar Association have expressed their opposition to this move.

No one has explained to Parliament why such an amendment is being introduced, and it has not been debated in any parliamentary committee.

There appears to be a hidden political motive behind this proposal. Nobody knows who is actually introducing this amendment. This indicates that there is a concealed agenda behind it.

We have received a draft prepared by a privately appointed committee. The government appears determined to push this through by any means.

The objective is to alter the balance of the judiciary for political purposes. We now know with certainty that this is being done to reshape the balance of the judiciary according to the political interests of the government.

A target has been set to pass this amendment during the first week of December. This is why the entire process appears to be highly secretive,” he said.