22nd Amendment Bill Added to Parliament's Agenda

Sri Lanka's Parliament has placed three key constitutional amendment bills onto its latest agenda, signaling a significant move in judicial reform. The bills, which propose extending the retirement age for judges, were officially released on August 21st.

The most prominent among these is the Twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution Bill. This bill seeks to raise the retirement age for Supreme Court judges from 65 to 67 years and for Court of Appeal judges from 63 to 65 years. Additionally, the Judicial Organisations (Amendment) Bill proposes extending the retirement age for judges in the High Courts, District Courts, and Magistrate Courts to 62 years.

These proposed changes are slated for debate in Parliament during the first week of October. However, the Twenty-second Amendment Bill faces considerable legal scrutiny, with 21 petitions already submitted to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court's determination on these petitions will be communicated to the Speaker of Parliament.

Also included in the latest parliamentary agenda is the Anti-Corruption (Amendment) Bill. All three amendment bills underwent their first reading in Parliament recently. The inclusion of these bills indicates a push to address judicial longevity and potentially enhance the experience within the judiciary, while also tackling corruption.