Opposition and religious leaders challenge proposed 22nd Amendment to extend judges' retirement age; government acknowledges receipt of opposition letter

The proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which aims to extend the retirement ages of superior court judges, has drawn opposition from various groups. The Joint Opposition, led by Prof. G.L. Peiris, has challenged the government's claim that the amendment is intended to clear a backlog of over 1.1 million court cases, stating that only 1% of these cases are held up in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. The Joint Opposition also announced its intention to challenge the amendment in court.

Religious leaders, specifically the Mahanayake Theras of the Malwatte, Asgiriya, Amarapura, and Ramanna Buddhist Chapters, have expressed their opposition to the proposed amendment. The Malwatte Mahanayake Thera confirmed that the heads of all Nikayas oppose extending the retirement ages of judges. The Joint Opposition reiterated that these Mahanayake Theras have written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to convey their opposition. The government, through Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, later admitted that President Dissanayake had received the Mahanayake Theras' letter, after initially denying it.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has also strongly opposed the 22nd Amendment, urging the government not to proceed with it in its current form. The BASL believes a referendum is needed for such a change. Despite these objections, sources indicate that the NPP government is unlikely to change its stance on the gazetted amendment, even as President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was scheduled to meet with a high-level delegation from the BASL.