The Government is prepared to hold a referendum if the Supreme Court determines that one is required, in addition to a two-thirds parliamentary majority, to enact the proposed 22nd Amendment (22A) to the Constitution, Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said.
Speaking at a public gathering, Dr. Jayatissa said the Government would proceed based on the Supreme Court’s determination, which he said was expected by late September or October.
‘If a two-thirds majority in Parliament is required, we are prepared to proceed accordingly, and if a referendum is required, we are prepared for that as well, based on the Supreme Court’s decision,’ Dr. Jayatissa said.
He maintained that the proposed Amendment had been introduced in the public interest and said the Government would continue with the reform process.
Separately, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament yesterday that the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) is expected to brief MPs today (20) on the proposed 22nd Amendment and concerns relating to vacancies in the superior courts.
Premadasa said he had initially written to the BASL President on 8 June requesting a briefing for Opposition MPs on the Amendment and the implications of not filling vacancies for judges in the superior courts.
He said a further request was made on 30 July to extend the briefing to all MPs, while the Speaker was also informed in writing.
Premadasa said the BASL subsequently confirmed that its representatives would be available to conduct the briefing today.
His explanation followed Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake’s statement that a procedural error in organising the BASL briefing had been noted.
Premadasa invited interested MPs to attend and said the related correspondence would be tabled in Parliament and included in the Hansard.
The proposal to extend the retirement age of superior court judges by two years predates the current Government’s 22nd Amendment initiative and was first mooted a couple of years ago, when Ranil Wickremesinghe was President.
The initiative originated as a Private Member’s proposal by MP Faiszer Musthapha, now in Opposition, and was subsequently placed on Parliament’s Order Book. Musthapha had proposed increasing the retirement age of Supreme Court judges from 65 to 67 years and that of Court of Appeal judges from 63 to 65 years.
The proposal later appeared in the Parliamentary Order Book issued on 5 December 2025, before being taken up by the Government and formally presented to Parliament as part of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill.