The Supreme Court has given two recommendations to the government to change the composition of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) in efforts to reform the judiciary.
The Attorney General's Office has met with several judicial and legal stakeholders to seek their views on reforming JSC's composition. The AG Office has disclosed the Supreme Court's recommendation on the matter.
According to the AG office, four judges from the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice participated in the meeting with the Supreme Court.
The top court's first recommendation was to form a seven-member commission comprising three judges other than the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, and three retired persons from the general public with at least 35 years of experience in the education or health sector.
The second recommendation suggested forming a five-member commission comprising the Chief Justice, a Supreme Court judge, a High Court judge, the Attorney General, and a lawyer. The Supreme Court said it was advisable to include honorably retiring judges as JSC members. However, some judges expressed that it was important to consider whether that was the most appropriate option.
The court also noted that the Parliament having a role in appointing members to the commission may not be the best option. It said that a strong system for selecting commission members should be established.
However, some judges disagreed with the view that a lawyer must be included as a commission member.
