Eran moots pay hike for judges

Member of Parliament Eran Wickramaratne, addressing the Rotary Club of Colombo Mid Town, called on Parliament and civil society to strengthen the independence and restore the dignity of the Judiciary.

He suggested that Supreme Court Judges’ salaries be increased to Rs. 500,000 a month, and salaries of all Judges be adjusted accordingly, with Magistrates’ at Rs. 100,000 a month.  

“Financial independence will restore the dignity that is rightly due to the Bench,” he added.

He said that diminishing respect for the rule of law diminished us all and such erosion had led to impunity.  Having a society where a person (Julampitiya Amare) had not been arrested despite repeated warrants has led to an erosion of confidence in the Police.

“We cannot afford to erode the dignity of the Judiciary. The independence of the Judiciary takes meaning only when it is independent of the Executive,” Wickramaratne said.

He called for the restoration of the Constitutional Council and the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, so that appointment of judges would not be the sole prerogative of the President.  He argued passionately that Parliament should be responsible for the remuneration of judges and called for increasing the salaries of judges.