President of the Judicial Service Association (JSA), Pasan Amarasena, has announced his immediate resignation, citing a breakdown of trust with the Association’s Secretary and the majority of its Executive Committee amid a dispute over a proposed Special General Meeting on the extension of judges’ retirement age.
In a detailed statement addressed to the Association’s membership, Amarasena alleges that the proposed meeting scheduled for July 11 was being convened contrary to the Association’s long-standing practices and without the required level of member participation. He further claims that decisions and minutes of the Executive Committee had been altered, and states that he cannot preside over what he describes as an unlawful meeting. The full statement is reproduced below.
To All Honorable Members of the Judicial Service Association,
At this crucial juncture, as the President of the Judicial Service Association, I consider it’s my duty to keep the entire membership informed of the current situation. Accordingly, I post this message.
The Judicial Service Association was established as an association dedicated for the welfare of its member judges. Judicial Service Association has never functioned as a trade union, it is not capable of functioning as such. The JSA is not a registered association and does not have a written constitution. Hence it has operated based on long standing traditions and precedents, performing a respected role in safeguarding the independence of the judiciary for the benefit of the entire judicial system and the country; with an exclusive membership limited to District Judges and Magistrates of Sri Lanka.
Every member of the Judicial Service Association , is a judicial officer serving under the Judicial Service Commission. While upholding professional ethics and judicial independence, with the blessings of the Judicial Service Commission, the Association has thus far maintained an exemplary record, serving as a distinguished association within Sri Lankan judiciary.
It is with deep regret and disgust that I must inform the membership that, in an unprecedented manner; a few members, the Secretary of the Judicial Service Association and some members of the Executive Committee have acted in a way that brings the Association and its membership into disrepute, undermining the dignity expected of judges and placing the entire membership in an extremely degrading and dangerous position.
Special General Meeting Proposed for 11 July 2026 , by the Executive Committee
At its meeting on 27 June 2026, the Executive Committee resolved to propose to the membership that a Special General Meeting be held to obtain the views of members, regarding the proposed extension of the retirement age of the judges.
As all members are aware, before every Special General Meeting previously convened by the Judicial Service Association, it has been the accepted practice either to discuss the Association’s concerns with the Judicial Service Commission in person or to communicate those concerns to the Commission through the Secretary of the Judicial Service Commission. Such Special General Meetings of the JSA were always held only with the concurrence of the Judicial Service Commission.
Accordingly, I proposed to the Executive Committee to follow this established practice by first informing the Judicial Service Commission regarding our concerns on this issue. However, the Executive Committee rejected my proposal without any reasonable justification. The reason given was that if discussions were held with the Commission, it might instruct the Association not to proceed with the Special General Meeting.
At the Executive Committee meeting held on 27 June 2026, I explained in detail the established procedure followed by the Association in convening previous Special General Meetings; as a member who has attended every Special General Meeting held since 2010.
According to the practice, a Special General Meeting should only be convened:
- upon the request of one-third (1/3) of the total membership; or
- where no such request has been made, if the Executive Committee proposes the meeting to the membership and at least one-third (1/3) of the total membership confirms attendance.
Following my explanation, and noting that no request had been made by one-third (1/3) of the membership; the Executive Committee unanimously decided to go for the second option that the proposed meeting on 11 July 2026 would proceed only if one-third (1/3) of the membership confirmed their participation.
In accordance with that decision, the Secretary posted a participation confirmation request on the JSA Members Official WhatsApp Group on 2 July 2026.
Accordingly, the confirmation of participation of 86 members out of entire membership of 258 was required for the special general meeting to proceed.
However, even after the confirmation deadline expired this morning only 46 members have confirmed their attendance up to now. Therefore, according to the accepted practice of the Association, the proposed Special General Meeting cannot lawfully be held.
It has now become apparent that, realizing the required number of participants would not be obtained, the Secretary, together with several Executive Committee members and a handful of other members, is engaged in a regrettable and shameless attempt to hold the meeting regardless, pass a resolution opposing the extension of judges’ retirement age, publish it through the media, and thereby support groups and certain political interests that oppose the proposed retirement-age extension of the judges.
This intention became evident when, even before the deadline for confirming participation had expired, the Secretary announced yesterday that the Special General Meeting would definitely take place.
Furthermore, despite the Executive Committee having made clear decisions, the Secretary has repeatedly informed the Committee of altered decisions, apparently modifying the minutes deliberately and falsely representing his preferred decisions as decisions made by the Executive Committee.
Although the meeting is scheduled to be held on a Saturday in an open courtroom, the Magistrate of Kaduwela has not yet obtained the approval of the Judicial Service Commission for the use of the court premises.
Holding such a Special General Meeting without the approval of the Judicial Service Commission, contrary to established practice, and without confirmation of attendance by at least one-third of the membership, would be unlawful. As President, I consider it disrespectful both to the overwhelming majority of members (212 members ) who have not confirmed their participation, and to the Judicial Service Commission if I were to preside over such an unlawful meeting.
Accordingly, I hereby inform the membership that I am unable, as President, to preside over the Special General Meeting proposed by the Executive Committee to be held at the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court on 11 July 2026.
However, if anyone proceeds to organize such a meeting on 11 July 2026 in disregard of the matters set out above, I make it clear that I will bear no responsibility whatsoever for that meeting. I also respectfully inform the entire membership that I cannot preside, as President, over an unlawful Special General Meeting.
Furthermore, the manner in which the Secretary of the Judicial Service Association and certain members of the Executive Committee conducted themselves over the past few days has been deeply disappointing. They displayed a complete lack of professionalism, made false statements, and, without any hesitation, repeatedly altered Executive Committee decisions and minutes (Exco Minutes) in a manner that had never before occurred in the history of the Judicial Service Association. Such conduct was unethical and highly regrettable.
Even some Executive Committee members who had not attended certain Executive Committee meetings made false statements regarding decisions allegedly taken at meetings they did not attend, thereby tarnishing their own professional integrity.
I have no desire to continue providing leadership to an Executive Committee in which no trust can be placed. As I have no confidence whatsoever in the current Secretary of the Judicial Service Association and the majority of the members of its Executive Committee, I wish to inform you that I have decided to resign from the office of President of the Judicial Service Association with immediate effect.
I extend my respectful gratitude to those members of the Executive Committee and the general membership who stood by me, following principles courageously and honestly, expressed their views without yielding to any external influence.
Finally, I sincerely thank the entire membership for unanimously electing me as the President at the last Annual General Meeting.
Thank you.
Pasan Amarasena
President
Judicial Service Association.