22nd Amendment Sri Lanka debate intensifies as Saliya Peiris questions why existing judicial vacancies remain unfilled before numbers are increased..
President’s Counsel Saliya Peiris has sharply questioned the 22nd Amendment Sri Lanka debate, asking why the Government is rushing changes that could have been announced months earlier.
Speaking at a lawyers’ meeting in Colombo, Peiris said that if the amendment was genuinely being introduced with good intentions, the Government could have disclosed its plans about six months ago.
He urged the public to examine the proposal carefully instead of accepting Government explanations at face value.
Peiris argued that while authorities present the amendment as a major reform of the judicial system, the practical situation tells a different story.
He pointed out that the proposal seeks to increase the number of Court of Appeal judges by five.
However, he noted that four vacancies already exist in the Court of Appeal.
Peiris questioned the logic and good faith of increasing the permitted number of judges without first filling the existing vacancies.
He raised a similar concern regarding the High Court.
The Government is preparing to increase the number of High Court judges to 120. Yet, under existing law, provision already exists for 110 judges.
Only 93 High Court judges are currently serving, Peiris said.
“Without even filling the existing vacancies, the government is trying to inflate numbers through new amendments only to show that it is making a big revolution in the judicial field,” the President’s Counsel emphasized.
The 22nd Amendment Sri Lanka discussion therefore centres not only on increasing judicial numbers, but also on whether existing vacancies should first be addressed.
Several legal experts attended the Colombo meeting, where participants extensively discussed the constitutional and legal implications of the proposed amendment.
