There has been a controversy in society regarding the release of only the President’s comments to the media and social media during the discussion between the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In such a context, a video clip of the comments made by Bar Association President Rajeev Amarasuriya during the discussion has been released.
The video clip shows him pointing out to President Anura Dissanayake that the proposed amendment will cause serious damage to the independence of the judicial system and public trust.
Bar Association President Rajeev Amarasuriya stated that the independence of the judiciary is not just a legal concept, but is based on public trust.
He also pointed out that crucial issues such as the tenure or retirement age of judges should not be changed abruptly based on political expediency.
“When a judge is appointed, he should have a fixed term of office. Changing it raises suspicions in society that there will be interference in the judiciary. The Bar Association stood for independence in this way when Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranaike was removed in 2012. Today, we stand for the same principle,” the chairman stated.
He pointed out that the majority of the more than 1.1 million cases in the country’s judicial system are pending in the magistrate’s courts, and increasing the retirement age of judges is not a solution to that delay. Instead, he suggests that using technology and developing infrastructure is more important.
He also clarified the allegations that this amendment is being brought with the aim of extending the tenure of a group, including the Chief Justice, who is scheduled to retire next December.