Sri Lanka 22nd Amendment: Supreme Court Says No Referendum Needed
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has ruled that the proposed 22nd Constitutional Amendment does not require a public referendum, clearing a key hurdle for the judicial reform Bill.
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has ruled that the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution does not require approval through a public referendum, clearing a major legal hurdle for the government’s judicial reform Bill. The decision was announced in Parliament by Speaker Jagath Wickramaratna after the court examined more than 60 petitions challenging the legislation.
The proposed amendment would increase the retirement age of Supreme Court judges from 65 to 67 and Court of Appeal judges from 63 to 65. It would also increase the number of Court of Appeal judges from 20 to 25 and set the retirement age for High Court, District Court and Magistrates’ Court judges at 62.
Opposition parties and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka had argued that the changes could affect judicial independence and therefore required a nationwide vote in addition to a two-thirds parliamentary majority. Rights and legal groups have also raised concerns about the proposed reforms.
The government has defended the amendment as a measure aimed at reducing a judicial backlog estimated at more than 1.1 million cases. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s National People’s Power government holds a two-thirds majority in the 225-member Parliament.
The Supreme Court’s ruling means the Bill can proceed without a referendum, although the debate over judicial independence and the scope of the proposed changes is likely to continue.
