Sri Lanka protests target judicial reform bills

Sri Lanka's main opposition protested outside parliament on Thursday against judicial reform bills that would raise judges' retirement ages and expand the court system, measures the government says are needed to reduce long legal delays.

Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa told thousands of supporters that legislation proposed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's left-wing administration would destroy judicial independence. He said opposition parties would try to defeat the constitutional amendment in public opinion, even if they lacked the votes to block it in parliament.

The government unveiled two bills last month to increase the number of courthouses, create new appellate courts outside the capital, raise the retirement age of all judges by two years and recruit more magistrates and staff.

Raising the mandatory retirement age of superior court judges requires a constitutional amendment. Dissanayake's government has the two-thirds parliamentary majority needed to pass it, and a vote was scheduled for Friday after two days of debate.

The government says the changes are needed to clear a backlog of 1.1 million cases. It says criminal proceedings usually take more than 17 years, while civil cases can take generations to conclude.

Sri Lanka's Bar Association has also opposed the constitutional amendment, calling it an attempt to prolong the tenure of Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, who is due to retire in November unless his term is extended. The government denies accusations that it is trying to influence the judiciary.