By Ceylon Signal 
Opposition MP Mano Ganesan has accused the Sri Lankan government of attempting to use its proposed extension of judges’ retirement ages to influence senior judicial appointments, adding to the growing resistance against the planned 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara has announced that the amendment will be presented to Parliament on August 18.
Ganesan, leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance, said he does not oppose extending the retirement age of judges in principle. Instead, he questioned the government’s motives, warning that the move could be used to install preferred individuals in top judicial positions.
“The age is not the issue,” Ganesan told reporters after a recent book launch in Colombo. “If they are capable, there is nothing wrong with extending it.” However, he stressed that his stance should not be interpreted as support for the government’s proposal.
The government argues that retaining experienced judges for longer will help reduce the massive backlog of cases in Sri Lanka’s courts. Ganesan challenged that justification, asking why judicial vacancies had not been filled promptly if clearing delays was the genuine priority.
“If the government genuinely has that concern, why did it not promptly fill the judicial vacancies that existed in the past?” he asked.
He pointed to several respected judges who retired recently — including Priyantha Fernando, Ilancheliyan, Thurairaja and Kumudini Wickremasinghe — saying the government allowed experienced members of the judiciary to leave, only to now seek changes that could enable politically influenced appointments.
“When such experienced judges were available, the government allowed them to retire,” he said, alleging that the administration was now seeking an opportunity to bring in “people of its own choosing from outside.”
Ganesan said his party would not oppose even a significantly higher retirement age if the policy were implemented transparently and free of political interference.
“We have no objection to increasing the retirement age to 70 or even 80,” he said. “What we oppose is this manoeuvre by the government to appoint people it wants.”
In a direct appeal to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Ganesan invoked their shared years in the opposition.
“As someone who travelled alongside him in the opposition for many years, I tell my brother Anura Kumara Dissanayake: Do not do this,” he said.