By The Pulseline News Desk
Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has renewed the debate over Sri Lanka’s long-running judicial delays, proposing the appointment of a parliamentary select committee to examine structural reforms after the government disclosed that more than 1.1 million cases remain pending before the country’s courts.
Speaking to the media, Wickremesinghe said he had asked Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa to submit a proposal to the government seeking the establishment of a select committee to identify practical measures to reduce the mounting backlog.
“The government has claimed that the extension of the retirement age of judges is aimed at getting rid of the backlog of court cases. The Minister of Justice has said there are 1.1 million cases pending in courts. Therefore, I have told the Opposition Leader to hand over a proposal to the government calling for the setting up of a select committee to look into ways and means to resolve the large backlog of cases,” Wickremesinghe said.
His intervention comes amidst the growing debate to extend the retirement age of judges, a move the government has defended as an immediate response to severe shortages within the judiciary and the growing accumulation of unresolved litigation.
However, Wickremesinghe’s remarks suggest that the former President sees the issue as one requiring institutional reform rather than a temporary staffing solution.
A problem decades in the making
Sri Lanka’s judicial backlog has been one of the country’s most persistent governance challenges. Civil disputes, commercial litigation, criminal prosecutions and fundamental rights cases frequently take years – and in some instances more than a decade – to conclude.
The consequences extend well beyond the legal profession. Delayed criminal trials leave victims and accused persons waiting years for justice, while prolonged civil litigation affects businesses, property disputes and contract enforcement, undermining investor confidence and increasing the cost of doing business.
Successive governments have acknowledged the problem, but comprehensive reforms have repeatedly stalled.
Over the years, proposals have ranged from increasing the number of judges and courtrooms to expanding digital case management, strengthening alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, modernising procedural rules and establishing specialised courts for commercial and other complex litigation.
While incremental improvements have been introduced, the overall pace of reform has lagged behind the growing volume of cases entering the judicial system.
More than a question of numbers
The government’s current approach centres on retaining experienced judges for longer by extending the retirement age, thereby reducing vacancies and maintaining judicial capacity.
The logic is straightforward: keeping senior judges on the bench should allow more cases to be heard and reduce pressure on an already stretched court system.
Yet legal practitioners have long argued that judicial vacancies are only one part of the problem.
Court postponements, procedural delays, shortages of court staff, outdated administrative systems, inadequate courtroom infrastructure and repeated adjournments all contribute to lengthy case disposal times. Without addressing those structural weaknesses, simply increasing the number of judges may produce only marginal improvements.
This is the argument underlying Wickremesinghe’s proposal.
A parliamentary select committee, if established, would have the ability to examine the issue across institutions, hear evidence from judges, lawyers, academics and public officials, and recommend legislative and administrative reforms that extend beyond the judiciary itself.
A rare area for bipartisan consensus?
Judicial reform has traditionally attracted less political controversy than constitutional changes affecting the courts. Unlike debates over judicial appointments or executive powers, reducing case delays commands broad public support regardless of political affiliation.
That creates the possibility, at least in principle, for cross-party cooperation.
Whether the government embraces Wickremesinghe’s proposal remains uncertain. Ministers have so far focused on immediate interventions, including extending judicial service, while broader reforms are expected to require greater financial resources, administrative restructuring and sustained political commitment.
The suggestion is also notable because it comes from a former President whose administration itself grappled with long-standing concerns over judicial efficiency. During his tenure, discussions were held on expanding digitalisation, strengthening commercial dispute resolution and improving court administration, though many of those reforms remained incomplete by the time he left office.
The challenge ahead
The figure cited by the Minister of Justice, 1.1 million pending cases, illustrates the scale of the challenge confronting Sri Lanka’s justice system. It also underscores that judicial delay is no longer merely a legal issue but an economic and governance concern affecting citizens, businesses and public confidence in state institutions.
Whether through extending the retirement age of judges, appointing more judicial officers or undertaking deeper institutional reforms, the central question remains the same: can Sri Lanka move from managing its court backlog to fundamentally reforming the system that continues to produce it?
Wickremesinghe’s proposal for a parliamentary select committee does not answer that question. But it seeks to shift the conversation from temporary remedies to long-term structural reform – a debate that has been postponed almost as often as the cases themselves.
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