Tenure of office of judges of Supreme Court
74.—(1) Subject to this section, a judge of the Supreme Court shall vacate his or her office when he or she attains the age of sixty-five years; but—
(a)the Governor may permit a judge who attains the age of sixty-five years to continue in office until he or she has attained such later age, not exceeding the age of seventy years, as may have been agreed between the Governor and that judge; and
(b)a judge who has attained the age at which he or she would otherwise vacate office under this subsection may continue in office for such period as may be necessary to enable him or her to deliver judgment or to do any other thing in relation to any proceeding commenced before him or her before he or she attained that age.
(2) A judge of the Supreme Court may be removed from office only for inability to discharge the functions of his or her office (whether arising from infirmity of body or mind or any other cause) or for misbehaviour, and shall not be so removed except in accordance with subsection (3).
(3) A judge of the Supreme Court shall be removed from office by the Governor by instrument under the public seal if the question of the removal of that judge from office has, at the request of the Governor made in pursuance of subsection (4), been referred by Her Majesty to the Judicial Committee of Her Majesty’s Privy Council under section 4 of the Judicial Committee Act 1833(1) or any other enactment enabling Her Majesty in that behalf, and the Judicial Committee has advised Her Majesty that the judge ought to be removed from office for inability as aforesaid or misbehaviour.
(4) If the Governor considers that the question of removing a judge of the Supreme Court from office for inability as aforesaid or misbehaviour ought to be investigated, then—
(a)the Governor shall appoint a tribunal, which shall consist of a Chairman and not less than two other members selected by the Governor from among persons who hold or have held high judicial office;
(b)the tribunal shall inquire into the matter and report on the facts thereof to the Governor and advise the Governor whether he or she should request that the question of the removal of that judge should be referred by Her Majesty to the Judicial Committee; and
(c)if the tribunal so advises, the Governor shall request that the question should be referred accordingly.
(5) The provisions of the Commissions of Inquiry Ordinance(2) as in force on the date of commencement of this Constitution shall, subject to this section, apply as nearly as may be in relation to tribunals appointed under subsection (4) or, as the context may require, to their members as they apply in relation to Commissions or Commissioners appointed under that Ordinance.
(6) If the question of removing a judge of the Supreme Court from office has been referred to a tribunal under subsection (4) the Governor may suspend the judge from performing the functions of his or her office, and any such suspension may at any time be revoked by the Governor, and shall in any case cease to have effect—
(a)if the tribunal advises the Governor that he or she should not request that the question of the removal of the judge from office should be referred by Her Majesty to the Judicial Committee; or
(b)if the Judicial Committee advises Her Majesty that the judge ought not to be removed from office.
(7) The powers conferred upon the Governor by this section shall be exercised by the Governor in his or her discretion.
Ordinance No. 7 of 1986.