Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Ajith P. Perera has claimed that the government is planning to implement a proposal to extend the retirement age of Supreme Court judges before the end of this year.
Speaking on the "360°" programme aired on TV Derana, Perera alleged that the move raised serious concerns, particularly since no official request for such an amendment had been made by any relevant institution or stakeholder.
He said Parliament had not been informed of the reason behind the proposed constitutional amendment, and that the matter had not been discussed by any parliamentary committee.
He noted that no request had come from the Chief Justice, Supreme Court judges, Court of Appeal judges or the Bar Association of Sri Lanka to increase the retirement age of Supreme Court judges, and pointed out that both the High Court Judges' Association and the Bar Association were opposed to the move. He added that no one had explained to Parliament why the amendment was being introduced, nor had it been taken up by any parliamentary committee.
Alleging that the proposal carried a hidden political motive, Perera questioned who was actually bringing it forward, saying that no one knew, which in his view pointed to a hidden agenda. He said the party had obtained a draft prepared by a privately appointed committee, and claimed the government was determined to push it through.
Perera further charged that the objective was to influence the balance of the judiciary for political purposes. He said it was now clear that the move was intended to reshape the judiciary to suit the government's political interests, adding that there was a target to have the amendment passed during the first week of December, which he said explained why the entire process appeared highly secretive.
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