By The Pulseline News Desk
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has called for the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to examine Sri Lanka’s mounting backlog of court cases, arguing that long delays in the justice system require urgent bipartisan attention rather than piecemeal reforms.
The proposal, signed by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and the SJB parliamentary group, was formally handed over to Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne in Parliament on Tuesday (4).
The move comes as figures from the Ministry of Justice show that more than 1.1 million cases remain pending across the country’s courts, highlighting the scale of delays affecting litigants and the administration of justice.
In a special statement, Premadasa said the proposed PSC should identify the causes of the backlog and recommend practical measures to improve the efficiency of the judicial system while safeguarding judicial independence and the rule of law.
The Opposition Leader also linked the proposal to the ongoing controversy over the government’s planned constitutional amendment to extend the retirement age of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges.
He argued that the proposed amendments had generated uncertainty within the legal community because key stakeholders had not been adequately consulted before the legislation was introduced.
Premadasa said the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) had been invited to Parliament on Wednesday at 3.00 p.m. to brief all Members of Parliament (MPs) on the legal and constitutional implications of the proposed changes.
He added that he had sought the Speaker’s support to facilitate the session for all 225 MPs, saying Parliament should hear directly from legal experts before debating reforms that affect the judiciary.
According to Premadasa, meaningful judicial reform should focus not only on issues such as judicial tenure but also on addressing the chronic delays that have left more than a million cases awaiting resolution.
The proposal now awaits the Speaker’s consideration, with the SJB maintaining that a Parliamentary Select Committee would provide a broader, cross-party platform to develop long-term reforms aimed at restoring public confidence in Sri Lanka’s justice system.
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