Sri Lanka proposes raising judicial retirement age via constitutional amendment

The Sri Lankan government has gazetted a draft bill for the Twenty Second Amendment to the Constitution, proposing to increase the mandatory retirement age for senior judges. Under the proposal, the retirement age for Supreme Court judges would rise from 65 to 67, and for the Court of Appeal from 63 to 65. Similar proportional increases would apply to lower courts.

President Anura Dissanayake’s administration defends the move as a necessary measure to address a massive backlog of over one million pending court cases and to improve systemic efficiency by retaining experienced personnel.

However, the decision has sparked significant controversy regarding judicial independence. Critics, including legal experts and former foreign minister GL Peiris, argue that the sudden extension lacks transparency and could allow the executive to favor specific individuals. Opponents suggest the move does not address underlying issues such as staff shortages, lack of courtrooms, and low judge-to-population ratios. To pass, the constitutional amendment will require a two-thirds majority in Parliament.