The Court of Appeal has fixed a date to deliver the verdict of the petitions filed by specialist doctors against the decision of Cabinet of Ministers to bring down their retirement age to 60 years.
Accordingly, the verdict will be delivered on November 17, as per a decision taken by Appeals Court President Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and Justice Chamath Morais.
A total of 176 specialist doctors had put forward petitions seeking that a court order be issued revoking the Cabinet decision taken in October 2022 to revise the retirement age of doctors.
When the petitions were taken up for consideration today, the judge bench ordered the petitioners and the respondents to file their written submissions before the verdict was delivered.
At the same time, the interim order, which suspended the inclusion of doctors and specialists in the gazette notification on the compulsory retirement of government sector employees at the age of 60, was extended until November 17.
Last year, the Cabinet of Ministers announced the revision of the retirement age for doctors in October, stating that while doctors aged 60, 61 and 62 by the year’s end will be allowed to serve until 61, 62 and 63 respectively, those aged 59 will be required to retire by the age of 60.
