The Bill to amend the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, titled the 22 Amendment to the Constitution, was published in the Gazette on August 7, 2026.
The proposed amendment, introduced under the direction of the Minister of Justice and National Integration, seeks to revise provisions relating to the retirement ages of superior court judges and the composition of the Court of Appeal.
Accordingly, the Bill proposes extending the retirement age of Supreme Court judges to 67 years and Court of Appeal judges to 65 years. It also states that the Chief Justice’s retirement date will be determined either upon reaching 67 years of age or upon completing a six-year term from the date of assuming office, whichever occurs first.
The amendment further proposes increasing the maximum number of judges serving in the Court of Appeal from 20 to 24.
