The United National Party (UNP) Working Committee has declared that the government’s plan to submit a bill amending the Constitution and the Judiciary Act, with the stated aim of strengthening judicial independence and clearing case backlogs, is unacceptable.
In its resolution, the UNP stressed that while reducing the backlog of cases is a shared expectation across all parties, extending the tenure of judges is not a solution.
Issuing a statement, the party recalled that the Ranil Wickremesinghe government had already sought a Governance Diagnostic Assessment from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) technical team, marking the first time such a report was prepared for an Asian country.
The IMF assessment highlighted the scale of the backlog as the most serious problem facing Sri Lanka’s judicial system. It noted that excessive delays harm the business community, with banks and private sector actors often avoiding reliance on courts to enforce loan agreements. The report cited the Colombo District Court, where nearly 45,000 recovery cases are pending, with each of the 10 judges handling around 2,000 cases at any given time.
Among its recommendations, the IMF report called for establishing a dedicated special court to address the backlog, streamlining administrative procedures, and strengthening support staff for judicial research. It observed that District Judges face workloads of about 2,000 cases annually, while Magistrates handle over 5,000 cases per year. In commercial courts, staff shortages were identified as a critical issue. The report further noted that enforcing a contract in Sri Lanka typically takes 6–7 years, with delays seen as the norm.
Importantly, the IMF evaluation did not recommend extending the tenure of judges. Instead, it emphasized reforms such as enhancing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms and revising judicial procedures to encourage faster resolution.
The UNP argued that the government’s justification for extending judges’ tenure is therefore baseless. It urged that the IMF report be first discussed in Parliament, with input from the Attorney General, Judiciary, and Bar Association of Sri Lanka, before formulating a new methodology.
The party underscored that the backlog, estimated at 1.1 million cases, must be reduced by at least 300,000 to 400,000 cases, and that vacancies in the Supreme Court and other courts should be filled without delay.
The resolution concluded that the proposed constitutional amendment should be suspended for now, with a new system prepared through broad consultation and then presented by the Ministry of Justice. The UNP pledged its full support for such a process. (Newswire)
