Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne today (25) has endorsed the certificate on the Twenty Second Amendment to the Constitution Bill.

The Second Reading debate on the Twenty Second Amendment to the Constitution Bill was held in Parliament yesterday (24) and today, following which the Bill was passed with a special majority in Parliament, according to Parliament's Communications Department.

The Bill provides for increasing the retirement age of Supreme Court Judges from 65 to 67 years, and the retirement age of Court of Appeal Judges from 63 to 65 years.

It also proposes to amend Article 137 of the Constitution to increase the number of judges of the Court of Appeal from 19 to 24.

Accordingly, the establishment and operation of regional Courts of Appeal is expected to facilitate the expeditious disposal of pending cases and reduce the need for parties to cases to travel to Colombo.

Accordingly, the Constitutional Amendment Bill will come into force as the Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne also endorsed his certificate today on the Judicature (Amendment) Bill. The Second Reading debate on the Bill was held in Parliament yesterday (24) and today, following which the Bill was passed by a majority of votes in Parliament today.

The amendment increases the retirement age of High Court Judges from 61 to 63 years, and the retirement age of District Judges and Magistrates from 60 to 62 years.

Furthermore, by amending Section 4 of the Judicature (Amendment) Bill, the Bill provides for increasing the maximum number of High Court Judges from 110 to 120, enabling the establishment of additional Provincial High Courts and Provincial Civil Appellate High Courts.

Accordingly, the Judicature (Amendment) Bill will come into force as the Judicature (Amendment) Act, No. 23 of 2026, the statement added.