The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka is the highest court in Sri Lanka and the final judicial instance of record. Established in 1801 and empowered to exercise its powers subject to the provisions of the Constitution of Sri Lanka,the Supreme Court has ultimate appellate jurisdiction in constitutional matters and takes precedence over all lower courts. The Sri Lankan judicial system is a complex blend of common law and civil law. In some cases,such as those involving capital punishment,the decision may be passed on to the President of Sri Lanka for clemency petitions. The current Chief Justice of Sri Lanka is Jayantha Jayasuriya.
Sarath Nanda Silva PC served as the 41st Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.
A President's Counsel is an eminent lawyer who is appointed by the President of Sri Lanka as an individual "learned in the law". The term is an honorific that replaced the Queen's Counsel (QC),which Sri Lanka ceased appointing when it became a republic in 1972. It is equivalent to the appointment of a King's Counsel in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms,and that of Senior Counsel in Commonwealth republics,bearing the same privileges,such as sitting within the Bar of court.
In Sri Lanka,the Cabinet of Ministers is the council of senior ministers responsible and answerable to the Parliament of Sri Lanka. The President is a member of the cabinet and its head.
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 Sanjay Rajaratnam. 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.
An Attorney at law in Sri Lanka is the only legal practitioners authorised to represent others in all court of law in the island and are also authorised to give advice regarding any matter of law. Alternative terms include lawyer.
The Ministry of Justice,Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms is the cabinet ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for the implementation of policies,plans and programmes for the administration of the country's justice system,and thereby administers its courts and prisons. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe is the incumbent Minister of Justice as of 20 May 2022.
Peter Mohan Maithree Peiris,PC is a Sri Lankan lawyer and diplomat. He served as the Attorney General of Sri Lanka from 2008 to 2011 and was the de facto Chief Justice of Sri Lanka from 2013 to 2015 when President Maithripala Sirisena declared his appointment void ab initio in 2015. He has been serving as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations since January 2021 and was elected Vice President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in June 2023.
The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission was a commission of inquiry appointed by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in May 2010 after the 26-year-long civil war in Sri Lanka to function as a Truth and reconciliation commission. The commission was mandated to investigate the facts and circumstances which led to the failure of the ceasefire agreement made operational on 27 February 2002,the lessons that should be learnt from those events and the institutional,administrative and legislative measures which need to be taken in order to prevent any recurrence of such concerns in the future,and to promote further national unity and reconciliation among all communities. After an 18-month inquiry,the commission submitted its report to the President on 15 November 2011. The report was made public on 16 December 2011,after being tabled in the parliament.
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.
Nihal Mahendra Sudrikku Jayawickrama is a Sri Lankan academic. He was the former Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Justice (1970–1977),Professor of Law at University of Hong Kong (1984–1997),Ariel F Sallows Professor of Human Rights at the University of Saskatchewan,Canada (1992–1993),and Executive Director of Transparency International (1997–2000). He is now an independent legal consultant,and has been the Coordinator of the UN-sponsored Judicial Integrity Group since 2000.
Victor Tennekoon QC was a Sri Lankan lawyer and jurist. He served as the 35th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka,as well as the 33rd Attorney General and 23rd Solicitor General. From 1979 to 1984 Tennekoon served as Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya.
Priyasath Dep PC is a Sri Lankan judge and lawyer. He was the 45th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka and a former Solicitor General of Sri Lanka.
The Judiciary of Sri Lanka are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in Sri Lanka. The Constitution of Sri Lanka defines courts as independent institutions within the traditional framework of checks and balances. They apply Sri Lankan Law which is an amalgam of English common law,Roman-Dutch civil law and Customary Law;and are established under the Judicature Act No 02 of 1978 of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.
Kankanithanthri T. Chitrasiri is a puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka who was appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena in 2016 to replace Justice Rohini Marasinghe. He was justice of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka,judge of the High Court and a magistrate.
Hettikankanange Nalin Jayalath Perera is a Sri Lanka judge who served as the 46th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka.
Sithambarampillai Thurairaja,PC is a Sri Lankan lawyer and a sitting puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. He was formerly a justice of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka and High Court of Fiji.
Dappula de LiveraPC is a Sri Lankan lawyer and the former Attorney General of Sri Lanka. He previously served as the Solicitor General of Sri Lanka from February 2018 and took over as acting attorney general from 29 April 2019 until his formal appointment in May 2019.
Mohamed Uvais Mohamed Ali Sabry,PC,MP,also known as Ali Sabry,is a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician. He is the Current Minister of Foreign Affairs serving since 22 July 2022. He previously served as the Minister of Finance until 9 May 2022. He was a Member of Parliament,appointed from the national list of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. He also served as the Minister of Justice until 9 May 2022. He served as the defense counsel of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa,chief legal adviser and President of the Muslim Federation of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.
