Sri Lanka’s Parliament on Friday approved the second reading of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution by a two-thirds majority, with 158 lawmakers voting in favor and 63 against, according to the Daily Mirror.
The amendment would extend the retirement age of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges as part of broader efforts to improve judicial efficiency and address a backlog of about 1.1 million court cases.
The amendment includes raising the retirement age of Supreme Court judges from 65 to 67 and Court of Appeal judges from 63 to 65.
It also provides that the Chief Justice would retire at 67 or after six years from the date of appointment, with the six-year limit not applying to the incumbent Chief Justice, and increases the maximum number of other Court of Appeal judges from 19 to 24.
Separately, the Judicature (Amendment) Bill provides for increasing the number of High Court judges from 110 to 120, raising their retirement age from 61 to 63 and increasing the retirement age of other judges and magistrates to 62.
Earlier this year, a riot at a prison in Negombo left 28 people dead, highlighting concerns over congestion in Sri Lanka’s prison system.
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