Judicial Service Association chief suddenly quits

The Judicial Service Association President, Magistrate Pasan Amarseana, resigned from his position, social media reports.

This comes amid a backdrop where the association called a meeting to hold a referendum this morning (11) at the Kaduwela Court Complex.

The Judicial Service Association of Sri Lanka planned to gather to seek views on extending the retirement age of judges, but reports emerged that its head left his post prior to the assembly.

In the letter, Pasan Amarseana alleged that a handful of members and the executive committee, and the secretary acted in a manner that discredited the association.

He noted that under accepted tradition, general assembly meetings require prior agreement from the Judicial Service Commission, which the committee bypassed out of fear of a cancellation order.

He highlighted that special meetings require confirmation from at least one-third of the membership, yet only 46 members confirmed their participation.

He termed the gathering a shameless attempt to support political motives against the tenure extension and deemed his participation an insult to the remaining 212 members.

The letter stated: “Since I have no trust whatsoever regarding the current secretary of the Judicial Service Association and the majority of the members of the executive committee, I also wish to inform that I decided to resign from the presidency of the Judicial Service Association immediately."

A letter sent by the Secretary of the Judicial Service Association, Judge Suranga Munasinghe, rejecting the allegations levelled by the president, is also circulating on social media.

He confirmed that the assembly would proceed, and the meeting subsequently took place at the Kaduwela Court Complex with 65 members present.

All members cast their votes against the proposed tenure extension for judges.