අගවිනිසුරු විශ්‍රාම වයස දීර්ඝ කිරීමට එරෙහිව නීතිඥ සංගමයෙන් දැවැන්ත විරෝධතාවක්: “අධිකරණ ස්වාධීනත්වයට එල්ල වූ තර්ජනයක්!”

Strong Protests from the BASL Against Extending the Chief Justice’s Retirement Age: “A Threat to Judicial Independence!”

“This is not about any individual person or judge. This is a vital national matter concerning the safeguarding of the independence of the judiciary, the principles of the Constitution, and public trust. Such fundamental constitutional changes should be made through broad public and stakeholder dialogue, transparency, and in accordance with due process.”

— Attorney-at-Law Rajeev Amarasuriya, President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka

A special General Meeting convened by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) to protest the move to extend the retirement age of the Chief Justice and superior court judges by two years has passed critical resolutions.

With over 3,000 lawyers participating from across the country both in person and online, the meeting recorded a complete and unanimous vote of protest against the government’s proposal. BASL President Rajeev Amarasuriya emphasized that the overwhelming majority of the legal profession is strictly opposed to this constitutional amendment.

Under current laws, the retirement age stands at 65 for Supreme Court judges and 63 for Court of Appeal judges. The brewing tension follows Cabinet approval to raise these limits to 67.

During the special general meeting, it was strongly proposed that if the government intends to press ahead with this amendment through a simple parliamentary majority rather than proper consensus, it should be put to a public referendum. Following the meeting, a delegation representing the BASL was also scheduled to meet with the Minister of Justice to address the ongoing crisis.