A video clip of the comments made by Bar Association President Rajeev Amarasuriya during a special discussion with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been released.
The video clip shows him pointing out to President Anura Dissanayake that the proposed amendment will cause serious damage to the independence of the judicial system and public trust.
Bar Association President Rajeev Amarasuriya stated that the independence of the judiciary is not just a legal concept, but is based on public trust. He pointed out that crucial issues such as the tenure or retirement age of judges should not be changed abruptly based on political expediency.
"When a judge is appointed, he should have a fixed term of office. Changing it raises suspicions in society that there will be interference in the judiciary. The Bar Association stood for independence in this way when Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranaike was removed in 2012. Today, we stand for the same principle," the chairman stated.
He pointed out that the majority of the more than 1.1 million cases in the country's judicial system are in the magistrate's courts, and increasing the retirement age of judges is not a solution to that delay. Instead, he suggested that using technology and developing infrastructure is more important.
He also clarified the allegations that this amendment is being brought with the aim of extending the tenure of a group, including the Chief Justice, who is scheduled to retire next December.
Rajiv Amarasuriya further noted that such changes are made in countries like England and India after years of formal discussions, and that a similar transparent process should be followed in Sri Lanka as well.