Sri Lanka, Aug. 21 -- General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Attorney-at-Law Sagara Kariyawasam today filed a Special Determination petition before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the Bill titled "Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution," which proposes to increase the retirement age of Supreme Court judges to 67 and Court of Appeal judges to 65.

Kariyawasam is seeking a declaration that the Bill requires approval by the people at a referendum and a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

The Petitioner stated that the Bill would change the terms of office of serving superior-court judges in a way that could affect the independence of the judiciary. Therefore, according to the Petitioner, the ...