No Party Decision Taken on Judges' Retirement Age, Says Lal Wijenayake

03-Aug-2026

.

Senior lawyer and National People's Power (NPP) member Lal Wijenayake has stated that the party has not taken any official decision regarding the proposal to extend the retirement age of judges by two years. Nevertheless, he maintained that the proposal amounts to an attempt to subordinate the judiciary to the Executive and should not be permitted.

Responding to questions on the controversy and his opposition to the proposal while remaining within the NPP, Wijenayake said increasing the retirement age of judges is an inappropriate measure.

He stressed that the judiciary serves as the institution to which citizens turn whenever the Executive or Legislature acts unjustly. The present proposal, he argued, seeks to make the judiciary dependent on the Executive.

According to Wijenayake, the extension could even be viewed as a form of inducement or corruption directed at the judiciary. More importantly, he warned that it threatens the constitutional balance among the organs of government and is therefore fundamentally inappropriate.

He clarified that no formal decision had been taken within the NPP. A meeting chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had been held during which the President expressed his views, while Wijenayake and others presented their own opinions before the meeting concluded.

"As no official party decision has been reached, I cannot be accused of violating party policy," he said, adding that he would continue to participate in future party meetings without restriction.

Wijenayake concluded by observing that the legal community as a whole opposes the Government's proposal and urged the authorities to recognise its dangers and withdraw the initiative.