Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament on Tuesday (03) that any constitutional amendment attempting to alter the retirement age of serving appellate judges must be submitted to a national referendum to avoid violating judicial independence.
Addressing the House under Standing Order 27(2), Premadasa cited a landmark 2022 Supreme Court ruling on the Inland Revenue Amendment Bill which affirmed that changing the tenure or retirement terms of incumbent Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges directly infringes on Article 3 of the Constitution.
The Opposition Leader highlighted that the administration's proposed tenure extension has already drawn strong pushback from the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) alongside numerous domestic and international legal associations.
Premadasa challenged the government over its selective approach to legal sector reforms, pointing out that a comprehensive 2023 Ministry of Justice report backed by the Asian Development Bank had already laid out clear steps for systemic court efficiency that remain unaddressed.
He observed that simply increasing the retirement age of senior judges fails to offer a practical solution for the estimated 1.1 million cases currently backlogging Sri Lankan courts.
Urging the government to halt unilateral legislative steps, the Opposition Leader demanded that ministers consult legal stakeholders and prioritise structural reforms over constitutional shifts that alter the judiciary's terms.
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