தவறவிடாதீர்கள்..!உடனே பதிவு செய்யுங்கள்

By M.R.M. Waseem and Rajadurai Hashan

Minister and Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake stated in Parliament yesterday that the government is engaged in diplomatic discussions regarding the recent statement issued by the United Nations concerning the extension of judges' tenure. He noted that the UN report referenced only the Supreme Court while omitting other courts, asserting that inaccuracies exist in the statement and reiterating that the government holds full authority to enact necessary national legislation.

Speaking during the parliamentary debate on regulations under the Import and Export Control Act, Minister Rathnayake outlined key legislative measures currently under discussion, including the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill.

He detailed that the Judicature (Amendment) Bill proposes increasing the number of High Court judges to 120 and raising their retirement age to 63. Meanwhile, the 22nd Amendment proposes extending the retirement age of Supreme Court judges to 67 and Court of Appeal judges to 65, while also increasing the bench strength of the Court of Appeal to 24 judges.

Rathnayake criticized opposition opposition members for protesting these amendments, drawing a historical parallel to 1978 when former President J.R. Jayewardene and then-Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa removed all Supreme Court judges. He urged Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and opposition members to issue a public apology before speaking on judicial independence.

The Leader of the House further asserted that cases against corrupt individuals, including members of the Rajapaksa administration, are proceeding rapidly in court, alleging that opposition resistance aims to protect corrupt figures.

He reiterated that the administration remains steadfast in fulfilling its mandate to the public and combating corruption.