The President of the Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association, Steven Thiru, observed proceedings at the Supreme Court yesterday as hearings began on petitions challenging the Government’s proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.
Thiru’s participation follows his warning in July that Sri Lanka risks repeating Zimbabwe’s controversial judicial crisis if it proceeds with plans to extend the retirement age of sitting superior court judges without broad public consultation.
Addressing a public forum organised by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), he stressed that the issue was not the proposed retirement age itself, but the timing, manner, and application of the constitutional amendment.
Hearings on the petitions commenced yesterday (01) and continued for nearly 12 hours until 10.30 pm, underscoring the intensity of the legal challenge. A total of 67 petitions have been filed against the Bill, including 41 submitted online.
Today (02) marks the second consecutive day of hearings before a five‑judge bench comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, Achala Wengappuli, Arjuna Obeyesekere, Sampath Abeykoon, and Gihan Kulatunga.
Lawyers representing the petitioners are currently making submissions challenging the constitutionality of the Bill. Once the petitioners’ arguments conclude, counsel for the intervening petitioners are scheduled to present their submissions.
The Attorney General is expected to address the Court thereafter, focusing on the Bill’s constitutional validity. (Newswire)