UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Sri Lanka moves to raise retirement age of judges
Q1. The Twenty-Second Amendment Bill to the Constitution of Sri Lanka, gazetted in August 2026, proposes revised mandatory retirement ages for different tiers of the judiciary. Consider the following court-and-age pairs:
1. Judges of the Supreme Court — 67 years
2. Judges of the Court of Appeal — 65 years
3. Judges of the High Court — 65 years
4. District Judges and Magistrates — 62 years
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Judges of the Supreme Court — 67 years
- Judges of the Court of Appeal — 65 years
- Judges of the High Court — 65 years
- District Judges and Magistrates — 62 years
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 1, 2 and 4
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1 and 3 only
Q2. Apart from raising retirement ages generally, the Twenty-Second Amendment Bill of 2026 places a distinct outer limit on the tenure of the head of Sri Lanka's judiciary. Under that proposal, the Chief Justice would demit office on which one of the following?
- A. On attaining 67 years of age, or on completing six years in that office, whichever occurs earlier
- B. On attaining 67 years of age, or on completing six years in that office, whichever occurs later
- C. On attaining 65 years of age, or on completing six years in that office, whichever occurs earlier
- D. On attaining 67 years of age, or on completing ten years in that office, whichever occurs earlier
Q3. Under the Constitution of Sri Lanka, the Chief Justice, the President of the Court of Appeal and every other Judge of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal hold office by virtue of an appointment made by which one of the following?
- A. The President of the Republic, by warrant under his hand
- B. The Judicial Service Commission, by warrant under the hand of the Chief Justice
- C. The Constitutional Council, by a resolution adopted by a majority of its members
- D. Parliament, by a resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of its members
Q4. Consider the following statements comparing the Bill styled the 'Twenty-Second Amendment' in 2022 with the Twenty-Second Amendment Bill gazetted in 2026:
1. The 2022 Bill sought to curtail the executive powers of the President and restore the independent commissions, and on enactment it took its place on the statute book as the Twenty-First Amendment.
2. The 2022 Bill was moved by a government headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whereas the 2026 Bill has been gazetted by a government headed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
3. Unlike the 2022 exercise, the 2026 Bill is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and is defended by the government on the ground of a backlog of roughly 1.1 million pending cases.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The 2022 Bill sought to curtail the executive powers of the President and restore the independent commissions, and on enactment it took its place on the statute book as the Twenty-First Amendment.
- The 2022 Bill was moved by a government headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whereas the 2026 Bill has been gazetted by a government headed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
- Unlike the 2022 exercise, the 2026 Bill is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and is defended by the government on the ground of a backlog of roughly 1.1 million pending cases.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q5. If the Supreme Court holds that the proposed change to judges' tenure is inconsistent with Article 3 of Sri Lanka's Constitution, the Bill can become law only if approved by the People at a referendum and, in addition, passed in Parliament by which one of the following majorities?
- A. Not less than two-thirds of the whole number of Members, including those not present
- B. Not less than two-thirds of the Members present and voting on the third reading
- C. An absolute majority of the whole number of Members, including those not present
- D. Not less than three-fourths of the whole number of Members, including those not present
Q6. The 2026 proposal to revise judges' retirement ages is being carried through by amending Article 107(5) of the Constitution together with Section 6 of the Judicature Act. Which one of the following is the sponsoring authority piloting this package?
- A. The Ministry of Justice, which also administers the Judicature Act
- B. The Ministry of Public Administration, which frames retirement rules for public officers
- C. The Presidential Secretariat, which gazettes constitutional Bills on its own authority
- D. The Attorney General's Department, which drafts and pilots constitutional Bills
Q7. Consider the following propositions advanced in the current Sri Lankan debate on judges' retirement age:
1. A constitutional amendment altering the retirement age or period of office so as to affect incumbent judges, whether directly or indirectly, impinges on the independence of the judiciary and attracts Article 3, requiring a referendum.
2. Article 3 declares that the sovereignty of the People is inalienable, and judicial power is one of the components through which that sovereignty is exercised.
3. Every amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka, without exception, requires the approval of the People at a referendum before it can become law.
4. Article 3 belongs to a class of provisions that Parliament is permanently barred from amending under any circumstances.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- A constitutional amendment altering the retirement age or period of office so as to affect incumbent judges, whether directly or indirectly, impinges on the independence of the judiciary and attracts Article 3, requiring a referendum.
- Article 3 declares that the sovereignty of the People is inalienable, and judicial power is one of the components through which that sovereignty is exercised.
- Every amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka, without exception, requires the approval of the People at a referendum before it can become law.
- Article 3 belongs to a class of provisions that Parliament is permanently barred from amending under any circumstances.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 1, 2 and 4
- D. 3 and 4
Q8. The 2022 pronouncement now being invoked against the retirement-age proposal was delivered by Sri Lanka's Supreme Court in the exercise of which one of the following jurisdictions?
- A. Its jurisdiction to determine, on a special reference, the constitutionality of a Bill placed on the Order Paper of Parliament
- B. Its jurisdiction over the infringement of fundamental rights by executive or administrative action
- C. Its consultative jurisdiction on questions of law or fact referred to it by the President of the Republic
- D. Its final appellate jurisdiction over judgments and orders of the Court of Appeal
Q9. In Sri Lanka, the appointment, transfer, disciplinary control and dismissal of judicial officers of the courts of first instance — District Courts, Magistrates' Courts and Primary Courts — are vested in which one of the following?
- A. The Judicial Service Commission, comprising the Chief Justice and the two most senior puisne Judges of the Supreme Court
- B. The Constitutional Council, comprising the Speaker, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition among others
- C. The Ministry of Justice, acting through its Secretary and the President of the Court of Appeal
- D. The President of the Republic, acting on the recommendation of the Attorney General
Q10. Consider the following statements about the retirement ages of judges in India and Sri Lanka:
1. In India, a Judge of the Supreme Court holds office until attaining the age of sixty-five years, as provided in Article 124(2) of the Constitution.
2. In India, a Judge of a High Court holds office until attaining the age of sixty-two years, as provided in Article 217(1) of the Constitution.
3. In Sri Lanka, Supreme Court judges at present retire at sixty-three years, and the Twenty-Second Amendment Bill of 2026 seeks to raise this to sixty-five years.
4. Under the Twenty-Second Amendment package of 2026, the retirement age proposed for judges of Sri Lanka's High Court is the same as that presently applicable to judges of India's High Courts.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- In India, a Judge of the Supreme Court holds office until attaining the age of sixty-five years, as provided in Article 124(2) of the Constitution.
- In India, a Judge of a High Court holds office until attaining the age of sixty-two years, as provided in Article 217(1) of the Constitution.
- In Sri Lanka, Supreme Court judges at present retire at sixty-three years, and the Twenty-Second Amendment Bill of 2026 seeks to raise this to sixty-five years.
- Under the Twenty-Second Amendment package of 2026, the retirement age proposed for judges of Sri Lanka's High Court is the same as that presently applicable to judges of India's High Courts.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 3 only
- C. 3 and 4
- D. 2 and 4
Q11. As a safeguard of judicial independence, the Constitution of Sri Lanka as it now stands requires the President's nominees for appointment as Judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal to be cleared by which one of the following bodies?
- A. The Constitutional Council, the body restored by the Twenty-First Amendment of 2022
- B. The Parliamentary Council, the body introduced by the Twentieth Amendment of 2020
- C. The Judicial Service Commission, the body constituted under Article 111D of the Constitution
- D. The Cabinet of Ministers, acting on a memorandum moved by the Minister of Justice
Q12. In the constitutional history of Sri Lanka, the expression 'Parliamentary Council' denotes which one of the following?
- A. A body of political office-holders that tendered observations to the President on appointments to the higher judiciary and the independent commissions
- B. A body including nominees from outside Parliament whose prior approval the President had to obtain for appointments to the higher judiciary
- C. A standing committee of Parliament that examined the constitutionality of Bills before they were placed on the Order Paper of the House
- D. A council of Provincial Chief Ministers that advised Parliament on amendments touching the devolution of power