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Sri Lanka Extends Tenure of Judges Despite Protests
The change covers 411 judges as officials seek to cut 1.1 million pending cases and ease prison overcrowding after recent riots.
- On Friday, Sri Lanka's Parliament adopted the 22nd Amendment, raising the mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court and Appeals Court judges by two years. The measure passed with 158 votes in favor and 63 against, exceeding the required two-thirds majority in the 225-member house.
- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake introduced the reforms to address a backlog of an estimated 1.1 million court cases. Criminal proceedings in Sri Lanka typically take more than 17 years, and delays have fueled severe prison overcrowding with facilities holding more than 41,000 inmates.
- Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa led thousands in protest outside Parliament, calling the amendment "a shameless and despicable act" that "would put democracy seriously under threat." Members of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya party wore black to express their dissent during the two-day debate.
- House Leader Bimal Ratnayake defended the legislation as purely supporting judicial reform, stating "this is not an amendment to extend the life of parliament" as happened previously. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka opposed the bills and called for a national referendum to approve the changes.
- The Supreme Court ruled that a two-thirds parliamentary majority was sufficient to pass the amendment, bypassing the need for a national referendum. The judicial overhaul coincides with intensified corruption investigations targeting former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and members of his family.
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11 Articles
11 Articles
Amendment raises retirement age of Supreme Court, Court of Appeal judges as country seeks to address backlog of about 1.1 million cases
·Ankara, Türkiye
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Sri Lanka's parliament approves constitutional amendment to extend ...
·London, United Kingdom
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Channel News Asia+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
Sri Lanka extends tenure of judges despite protests
Sri Lanka’s parliament approved a two-year increase in judges’ retirement age as part of judicial reforms, saying it will help reduce court delays and speed up trials.
·Singapore, Singapore
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Sri Lanka's parliament approves constitutional amendment to extend judge terms
COLOMBO, Sept 25 - Sri Lanka's parliament approved an amendment to the island nation's constitution on Friday to extend superior court judges' tenure by two years as part of measures to clear a large backlog of cases and reduce prisoner numbers after deadly prison riots. Read more at straitstimes.com.
·Singapore, Singapore
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources11
Leaning Left1Leaning Right3Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Center, 43% Right
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources are Center, 43% of the sources lean Right
43% Right
14%
C 43%
R 43%
Factuality
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