President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, Rajiv Amarasuriya, has expressed his views on the government’s attempt to extend the retirement age of judges. Issuing a statement on his Facebook account, he said that the government, which is taking steps to extend the retirement age of judges, ‘may the government gain wisdom.”
“The Sri Lanka Judicial Service Association, representing the District Judges and Magistrates of Sri Lanka, has expressed its clear and strong opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment to extend the retirement age of judges in a letter addressed to the Hon. Minister of Justice on 22 July 2026. This is not an isolated objection.
More importantly, at the special general meeting of the Judicial Service Association held a few weeks ago, all 65 judges who participated in a secret ballot voted against the proposal, despite the fact that they themselves would benefit from it.
Despite this, today’s Sunday Observer reports that the government intends to proceed with this constitutional amendment expeditiously.
Democracy is not measured only by having the necessary numerical strength to amend the Constitution. It is measured by transparency, accountability, respect for institutions and respect for constitutional principles.
If a constitutional amendment is pushed through a secret and opaque process, ignoring all institutional objections, it is a serious departure from the principles of democratic governance and good governance. In the opinion of many, such a process can be considered a corrupt use of constitutional power.
I sincerely hope that the proponents of this amendment will come to their senses and reconsider, prioritizing the long-term interests of our constitutional democracy.