The government is reportedly considering extending the retirement age of all judges by two years, revising its earlier proposal that applied only to judges of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
According to a report published by the Sunday Times today, the proposal has been expanded in response to the shortage of judges and the prolonged delays in the disposal of court cases. As a result, the government is now seeking to extend the retirement age of magistrates, district court judges, and high court judges, in addition to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court judges covered under the initial proposal.
Extending the retirement age of Court of Appeal and Supreme Court judges would require a constitutional amendment. However, the retirement age of magistrates, district court judges, and high court judges can be extended by amending the relevant Acts.
The development comes after the Judicial Service Association (JSA) unanimously rejected the government’s proposal to extend the retirement age of judges, including high court judges.
At a special general meeting of the JSA held at the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court premises yesterday, members were invited to express their views on the government’s proposal through a secret ballot. All 65 members who attended the meeting voted against the proposal.
Although more than 225 members had been invited to attend the meeting, only 65 were present.
A day before the meeting, JSA Chairman and Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena resigned from his position.
In a statement, the JSA said that following the chairman’s resignation, the vice-chairman presided over the special general meeting.
Earlier, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) also expressed concern over the government’s decision to extend the retirement age of judges serving in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
