President to meet Bar Association over judges’ retirement age proposal

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will meet representatives of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) on Tuesday to discuss the government’s proposal to increase the retirement age of judges.

The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m., according to the BASL.

Under the Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution Draft Bill, published in the official Government Gazette on Aug. 7, the mandatory retirement age of Supreme Court judges would rise from 65 to 67, while the retirement age of Court of Appeal judges would increase from 63 to 65.

The draft amendment also proposes that the Chief Justice retire upon reaching 67 years of age or after completing six years in office, whichever comes first.

The BASL has unanimously opposed the proposal.

Following a special general meeting on July 29, BASL President Rajeev Amarasuriya said lawyers who attended in person and online voted against the proposed changes.

He said the proposal had also drawn opposition from members of the judiciary and warned that it could have serious implications for judicial independence.

Amarasuriya said the BASL would continue to oppose the proposal and urged the government to reconsider it after consulting the legal profession.

He also said the association had raised concerns about the proposal for nearly two months but had not previously been given an opportunity to discuss the issue directly with the government.