Eva Wansundera | |
|---|---|
| Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka | |
| Assumed office 7 July 2012 | |
| 42nd Attorney General of Sri Lanka | |
| In office 1 September 2011 –2012 | |
| Preceded by | Mohan Peiris |
| Succeeded by | Palitha Fernando |
| 41st Solicitor General of Sri Lanka | |
| In office 2011–2011 | |
| Preceded by | Priyasath Dep |
| Succeeded by | Palitha Fernando |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Shanthi Eva Jayasena January 1954 Kurunegala, North Western Province |
| Spouse(s) | Indrajith |
| Children | Subodha |
| Alma mater | Sri Lanka Law College University of Leicester |
Shanthi Eva Wansundera PC (b. January 1954) is a Sri Lankan judge and lawyer. She is a sitting judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. Prior to her appointment as Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, in 2012, she served as Solicitor General and Attorney General of Sri Lanka. [1]
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island is historically and culturally intertwined with the Indian subcontinent, but is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and largest city, Colombo.
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka (Tamil: இலங்கை உயர் நீதிமன்றம் Ilankai uyar neetimanram) is the highest court of Sri Lanka. The Supreme Court is the highest and final judicial instance of record and is empowered to exercise its powers, subject to the provisions of the Constitution. The Court has ultimate appellate jurisdiction in constitutional matters, and take precedence over all lower Courts. The Sri Lanka judicial system is complex blend of both common-law and civil-law. In some cases such as capital punishment, the decision may be passed on to the President of the Republic for clemency petitions.
The Solicitor General of Sri Lanka is a post subordinate to the Attorney General of Sri Lanka. The Solicitor General of Sri Lanka assists the Attorney General, and is assisted by four Additional Solicitors General. Note that the post was Solicitor General of Ceylon until Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972.
Shanthi Eva Wanasundera was born in Kurunegala to Hector Jayasena, a teacher from the south. Wansundera attended St. Thomas' Girls' High School, Matara and Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Pannipitiya where she was appointed the first female Head Prefect of the school. While at Dharmapala Vidyalaya she won the American Field Service Scholarship which allowed her to study in the United States at Canyon del Oro High School Tucson, Arizona spending a year as an exchange student. Upon her return she entered the Sri Lanka Law College. In 1995 she also obtained a master's degree in Law from the University of Leicester. [2]
Kurunegala is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of the North Western Province and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was an ancient royal capital for 50 years, from the end of the 13th century to the start of the 14th century. It is at the junction of several main roads linking to other important parts of the country. It is about 94 km from Colombo and 42 km from Kandy.
St. Thomas' Girls' High School is a girls' school in Sri Lanka located in The Matara District, Sri Lanka's southern-most district.
Matara is a major city in Sri Lanka, on the southern coast of Southern Province, 160 km from Colombo. It is a major commercial hub, and it is the administrative capital of Matara District. It was gravely affected by the Asian tsunami in December 2004.
Wanasundera was called to the Bar in 1997. She practiced at the Unofficial Bar for two years prior joining the Attorney General's Department.
The Unofficial Bar in Sri Lankan courts refer to the lawyers engaged in private practice, as opposed to the Official Bar, which is made up of lawyers working for the Attorney-General's Department. The President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka is considered as the de facto leader of the Unofficial Bar. While the Attorney-General is considered as the leader of the Official Bar.
She made history when she became the first woman Senior State Counsel, the first woman Deputy Solicitor General, the first woman Additional Solicitor General and the first woman Solicitor General and first ever woman Attorney General of Sri Lanka. Eva Wanasundera served as Acting Attorney General 16 times before her appointment as Attorney General. [3] she represented Sri Lanka at key conferences abroad. [4]
The Attorney General of Sri Lanka is the Sri Lankan government's chief legal adviser, and its primary lawyer in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. The Attorney General is usually a highly respected Senior Advocate, and is appointed by the ruling government. The current Attorney General is Jayantha Jayasuriya. The president does not have any power to make orders, mandatory or otherwise, to the attorney general. He heads the Attorney General's Department which is the public prosecutor.
On 7 July 2012 she was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. [4] Wanasundera, being a senior member of the Supreme Court, has acted as Chief Justice in the absence of Chief Justice K. Sripavan. [5] [6] She is due to retire from the Supreme Court in January 2019. [7]
Justice Kanagasabapathy J. Sripavan is a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and judge. He was Deputy Solicitor General, judge and president of the Court of Appeal, Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and the 44th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka.
