The People’s Joint Opposition has raised serious concerns with the United Nations over what it describes as unwanted, opaque and constitutionally questionable judicial reforms currently being pursued by the Sri Lankan government.
Following a meeting with UN Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche, Convener Prof. G.L. Peiris said the delegation clearly conveyed that no segment of Sri Lankan society has called for these reforms. According to him, the country’s legal community, civil society organisations, magistrates, and several Members of Parliament have already expressed strong opposition.
Prof. Peiris questioned whose interests the government was serving:
“If lawyers, judges, civil society and the public have not asked for these reforms, then whose wishes are being carried out?”
He emphasised that the entire reform process lacks transparency and public consultation. No draft has been shared with the public, and the government has not issued any clear statement outlining the nature, purpose or scope of the proposed amendments.
Drawing a comparison with the United Kingdom’s 2021 judicial reform review, Prof. Peiris noted that the UK took nearly 18 months to reach a final conclusion after inviting submissions from the public, legal professionals and universities—receiving around 1,200 detailed responses.
Sri Lanka, he said, has shown none of this openness or accountability.
The Opposition also criticised proposals to extend the tenure of judges by two additional years, arguing that if such extensions are justified, they should apply equally to other critical professions—such as specialist doctors—who are leaving the country in large numbers, creating severe shortages in essential services.
Prof. Peiris stressed that selective extensions violate Article 12(1) of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law.
He added that Sri Lanka is already burdened with numerous unresolved crises, and introducing unnecessary constitutional and judicial complications would only deepen instability.
“We oppose any move that creates new problems instead of solving existing ones. Our purpose today was to make the UN fully aware of our position.”
The People’s Joint Opposition maintains that accountability, transparency and public participation must be central to any reform process—especially one affecting the judiciary, a pillar of democratic governance.