Sri Lanka on Friday (September 25, 2026) adopted the controversial 22nd Amendment to the Constitution which raises the retirement age of judges, despite protests by the opposition.
Ratnayake stressed. Members of the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya attended parliament in black attire to protest the move. The Opposition also challenged the government to hold a referendum to enact the amendment.
The main argument in several petitions filed in the Supreme Court challenging the amendment was that the 22A infringes Article 3 of the Constitution, which relates to the sovereignty of the people, and therefore requires approval through a nationwide referendum in addition to a two-thirds majority in Parliament, according to several opposition figures.
Speaking on behalf of the government, senior Minister Bimal Ratnayake said the amendment was purely meant to reform the judiciary to ensure swift delivery of justice. “This is not an amendment to extend the life of parliament or to extend the terms of presidents as happened before,” he said. “We do not want this to keep a stronghold of government as falsely accused by the opposition,” Mr. The main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said the amendment was clearly meant to undermine the independence of the judiciary. “This would put democracy seriously under threat,” he said.
