Parliament on Friday, 25.09.2026, passed the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution by 158 votes to 63, extending the mandatory retirement age for superior court judges amid opposition protests that the measure undermined judicial independence.
The ruling National People’s Power (NPP) voted in favour of the Bill, while the opposition—including the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), Sarvajana Balaya, National Democratic Front (NDF), and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)—voted against it.
The amendment raises the mandatory retirement age of Supreme Court judges from 65 to 67 years and Court of Appeal judges from 63 to 65 years. Debated alongside it, the Judicature (Amendment) Bill raises the retirement age of lower court judges to 62 years, increases the number of Court of Appeal judges by five, and raises the number of High Court judges from 110 to 120. The Government stated these measures are intended to alleviate severe case backlogs.
The vote took place at 7.00 p.m. following a two-day debate that began on Thursday, 24.09.2026, when Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara presented the Bills for their Second Reading. On 22 September, Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne announced the Supreme Court’s determination that the amendment could be passed by a special two-thirds majority in Parliament without requiring a public referendum.
The legislation sparked heavy criticism, facing a total of 67 petitions challenging its constitutionality, including one from the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL).
