Sajith chairs Opposition talks over judicial independence concerns

Opposition party leaders convened in Colombo yesterday (23) to coordinate a joint response to the Government's decision to extend the retirement age of superior court judges.

The meeting was held at the office of the Leader of the Opposition and was chaired by Sajith Premadasa, bringing together senior figures from across the political spectrum to discuss what several attendees described as an attempt to interfere with the independence of the judiciary.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, former Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, MPs Namal Rajapaksa, Dilith Jayaweera, Rauff Hakeem, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Mano Ganeshan, Jeevan Thondaman, P. Digambaram, Dayasiri Jayasekara, Kabir Hashim, Ranjith Madduma Bandara and former MPs Wimal Weerawansa, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Prof G.L. Peiris, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Tiran Alles, Mahinda Amaraweera, among others, participated at the meeting.

Former President Wickremesinghe pointed out that opposition parties had come together around a shared cause in response to what he described as objectionable conduct on the part of the Government.

He proposed that the Opposition Leader put forward a recommendation for the appointment of a select committee tasked with examining delays within the judicial system, including measures to expedite the hearing of an estimated 1.1 million pending court cases along with other outstanding issues in the sector.

He also indicated that further engagement was planned in the days ahead, with meetings to be arranged with members of the Buddhist clergy and representatives of the legal profession as part of a wider campaign to build support around the issue.

The gathering signals a rare instance of unified opposition action on an issue of judicial independence, one that could shape the national conversation around governance and the rule of law in the weeks to come. Further consultations with religious and legal figures are expected shortly, as opposition leaders look to sustain pressure on the Government over its handling of the judiciary.