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President's Counsel is an eminent lawyer who is appointed by the President of Sri Lanka to be one of the "President's Counsel learned in the law". The term is also recognized as an honorific which replaced the practice of appointment of Queen's Counsel (QC) which ceased when Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972. It is equivalent to the appointment of Queen's Counsel in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth jurisdictions and derives the same privileges such as the privilege of sitting within the Bar of court.
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.
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.
The Attorney General's Department is a non-ministerial government department in Sri Lanka that supports the Attorney General and his/her deputy the Solicitor General. The department is headed by the Attorney General and comes under the purview of the Ministry of Justice. The office of "Attorney General" was formally adopted in the year 1884.
Upawansa Yapa PC was the 37th Solicitor General of Sri Lanka.
Mervyn Fonseka, OBE, KC (1897–1946) was a Sri Lankan lawyer. He was the 15th Solicitor General of Ceylon.
Deshamanya Shivakumaran Pasupati is a leading Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, President's Counsel, Solicitor General and Attorney General.
Deshamanya Justice 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.
Hema Henry Basnayake, QC was the 31st Chief Justice of Ceylon as well as the 29th Attorney General and 16th Solicitor General. He was appointed in 1956 succeeding acting Chellappah Nagalingam and was Chief Justice until 1964.
Manikku Wadumestri Hendrick de Silva, QC was a Ceylonese lawyer, judge and statesman. He served in several top legal positions in the island, as the 26th Attorney General of Ceylon, a Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Ceylon and finally the Minister of Justice in the cabinet of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike as a member of the Senate of Ceylon.
Deshamanya Abdul Caffoor Mohamed Ameer, QC was Sri Lankan lawyer. He was the 32nd Attorney General of Ceylon. He was appointed in 1966, succeeding Douglas St. Clive Budd Jansze, and held the office until 1970. He was succeeded by Victor Tennekoon.
Rt. Hon. L. M. D. de Silva Q.C. was the 10th Solicitor General of Ceylon. He was appointed on 1932, succeeding Stanley Obeysekere, and held the office until 1935. He was succeeded by J. W. R. Illangakoon.
Edmund Walter Perera Seneviratne Jayawardena, QC was a Sri Lankan lawyer and diplomat. He was the 24th Solicitor General of Ceylon and Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Soviet Union.
Raja Sirimevan Wanasundera PC was a Sri Lankan judge who served as a Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court and the 27th Solicitor General of Sri Lanka.
I. F. B. Wickramanayake was the 29th Solicitor General of Sri Lanka. He was appointed on 1975, succeeding Shiva Pasupati, and held the office until 1977. He was succeeded by Elanga Wikramanayake.
K. M. M. B. Kulatunga was the 32nd Solicitor General of Sri Lanka. He was appointed on 1982, succeeding V. C. Gunatilleke, and held the office until 1989. He was succeeded by S. W. B Wadugodapitiya.
P. L. D. Premaratne was the 36th Solicitor General of Sri Lanka. He was appointed on 1994, succeeding Shibly Aziz, and held the office until 1996. He was succeeded by Upawansa Yapa.
Yuwanjana Jawaharlal Wanasundera Wijayatilake PC was the 44th Attorney General of Sri Lanka and 43rd Solicitor General of Sri Lanka.
Justice S. W. B. Wadugodapitiya, PC is a Sri Lankan judge. He was a Judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and had served as the Acting Chief Justice. He was also the 33rd Solicitor General of Sri Lanka.
Jayantha Chandrasiri Jayasuriya Sinhala:ජයන්ත චන්ද්රසිරි ජයසූරිය PC is a lawyer who is the 47th and current Chief Justice of Sri Lanka. Jayasuriya was approved by the Constitutional Council on the 26 April 2019 and sworn in three days later on the 29 April, succeeding Chief Justice Nalin Perera. He previously served as the 45th Attorney General of Sri Lanka. While serving as Attorney General Jayasuriya defended the sacking of the Prime Minister by the President of Sri Lanka but was over-ruled by the Supreme Court. Jayasuriya controversially requested an extension of the term of office of President Sirisena prior to being made Chief Justice. The Supreme Court over-ruled that request.
References
- ↑ "Permanent Holders of the Office of Solicitor General Sri Lanka". Attorney General's Department Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by Elanga Wikramanayake | Solicitor General of Sri Lanka 1977–1981 | Succeeded by K. M. M. B. Kulatunga |