Attorney General of Sri Lanka

Incumbent
Vacant

since 26 June 2024 (2024-06-26)

Attorney General's Department
Style| The Honourable
Nominator| The President
Appointer| The President
with Constitutional Council advice and consent
Term length| No fixed term
Formation| February 19, 1801; 223 years ago (1801-02-19)
First holder| James Dunkin
as Advocate Fiscal of Ceylon
Deputy| Solicitor General of Sri Lanka
Website| www.attorneygeneral.gov.lk

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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.

Unlike the attorney general of the United States, the attorney general of Sri Lanka does not have any executive authority and is not a political appointee; those functions are performed by the minister of justice. The attorney general is assisted by the solicitor general of Sri Lanka and several additional solicitors general.

## Appointment

[edit]

Under section 54 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, the president of Sri Lanka appoints the attorney general on advice of the government. The general practice is the serving solicitor general succeeds the outgoing attorney general. However, there have been instances where exceptions have been made.[1]

Under the 17th Amendment and 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the attorney general along with the chief justice, the judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, the members of the Judicial Service Commission, and four other officials are placed in a constitutionally guaranteed position of security from removal from office.[2]

## Powers and duties

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The powers and duties of the attorney general are derived from the Administration of Justice Law, No. 44 of 1973 and the Code of Criminal Procedure Act.

## Salary and entitlements

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Traditionally the attorney general is addressed by the honorific The Honourable. The attorney general draws a monthly salary and pensionable allowance (as at 2017) of Rs 240,000 and other allowances of 332,800. He/she is entitled to an official vehicle and an official residence or an allowance of Rs 50,000 in place of such. Further a books allowance of Rs 30,000 and allowance for not engaging in private practice of Rs 150,000 is provided. The position is pensionable, and holders are entitled to government duty free permits.[3]

## List of attorneys general

[edit]

Data based on:

* Amerasinghe, A. Ranjit B. (1986), The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka: the first 185 years, Sarvodaya[4]

#  | Attorney General  | Province  | Took office  | Left office  | Appointed by

|
|
|
|
|

Advocate Fiscal of Ceylon (1801–1833)
1 | James Dunkin |  | 19 February 1801 | 1802 | Frederick North
2 | Alexander Johnston | Scotland | 7 August 1802 | 1806
3 | James Dunkin |  | 22 April 1806 | 1808 | Thomas Maitland
4 | William Coke | England | 5 September 1808 | 1811
5 | Ambrose Hardinge Giffard | Ireland | 26 February 1811 | 1821
6 | Henry Matthews |  | 1 November 1821 | 1829 | Edward Barnes
7 | William Norris |  | 28 February 1829 | 1833 | Edward Barnes
King's Advocate of Ceylon (1833–1838)
8 | William Ogle Carr | England | 2 April 1833 | 1838 | Robert Wilmot-Horton
Queen's Advocate of Ceylon (1838–1884)
9 | John Stark |  | 10 December 1838 | 1840 | James Alexander Stewart-Mackenzie
10 | Arthur William Buller |  | 17 October 1840 | 1848
11 | Henry Collingwood Selby |  | 23 June 1848 | 1858 | George Byng
12 | Henry Byerley Thomson |  | 3 May 1858 | 1863 | Henry George Ward
13 | Richard Morgan |  | 1 January 1863 | 1876 | Charles Justin MacCarthy
14 | Richard Cayley | England | 4 April 1876 | 1879 | William Henry Gregory
15 | Bruce Burnside | Bahamas | 24 October 1879 | 1883 | James Robert Longden
16 | Francis Fleming |  | 4 July 1883 | 1884
Attorney General of Ceylon (1884–1972)
16 | Francis Fleming |  | 1 January 1884 | 1886 | Arthur Hamilton-Gordon
17 | Samuel Grenier |  | 30 September 1886 | 1892
18 | Charles Layard | Western | 1 November 1892 | 1902 | Arthur Havelock
19 | Alfred Lascelles | England | 18 June 1902 | 1911 | Joseph West Ridgeway
20 | Anton Bertram |  | 18 May 1911 | 1918 | Henry McCallum
21 | Henry Gollan |  | 15 October 1918 | 1924 | John Anderson
22 | Lancelot Henry Elphinstone |  | 6 October 1924 | 1929 | William Manning
23 | Edward St. John Jackson |  | 12 May 1929 | 1936 | Herbert Stanley
24 | John Curtois Howard |  | 27 July 1936 | 1936 | Reginald Edward Stubbs
25 | John William Ronald Illangakoon |  | 1 October 1936 | 1942
26 | Manikku Wadumestri Hendrick de Silva |  | 7 July 1942 | 1946 | Henry Monck-Mason Moore
27 | Chellappah Nagalingam |  | 25 January 1946 | 1947
28 | Alan Edward Percival Rose |  | 23 October 1947 | 1951
29 | Hema Henry Basnayake |  | 11 October 1951 | 1956 | Herwald Ramsbotham
30 | Edward Fredrick Noel Gratiaen |  | 2 May 1956 | 1957 | Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke
31 | Douglas St. Clive Budd Jansze |  | 1 April 1957 | 1966
32 | Abdul Caffoor Mohamad Ameer |  | 1966 | 1970 | William Gopallawa
Attorney General of Sri Lanka
33 | Victor Tennekoon | Central | 1 July 1970 | 1975 | William Gopallawa
34 | Shiva Pasupati |  | 5 June 1975 | 1988
35 | Pandikoralalage Sunil Chandra De Silva |  | 1988 | 1992 | J. R. Jayewardene
36 | Tilak Marapana | Sabaragamuwa | 1992 | 1995 | Ranasinghe Premadasa
37 | Shibly Aziz |  | 1995 | 1996 | Chandrika Kumaratunga
38 | Sarath N. Silva |  | 1996 | 1999
39 | Kandapper Kamalasabayson | Eastern | 1999 | 2007
40 | Chitta De Silva | Western | 2007 | 2008 | Mahinda Rajapaksa
41 | Mohan Peiris |  | 2008 | 2011
42 | Eva Wansundera | North Western | 2011 | 2012
43 | Palitha Fernando |  | 17 July 2012 | 23 October 2014
44 | Yuwanjana Wijayatilake |  | 23 October 2014 | 10 January 2016
| Suhada Gamlath |  | 10 January 2016 | 11 February 2016 | Maithripala Sirisena
45 | Jayantha Jayasuriya |  | 11 February 2016 | 29 April 2019
46 | Dappula de Livera |  | 29 April 2019 | 25 May 2021
47 | Sanjay Rajaratnam |  | 26 May 2021 | 12 July 2024 | Gotabaya Rajapaksa
49  | K. Parinda Ranasinghe  |  | 12 July 2024  | Incumbent  | Ranil Wickramasinghe

## See also

[edit]

* Chief Justice of Sri Lanka
* Solicitor General of Sri Lanka

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Constitution of Sri Lanka
2. ^ The misunderstood role of the Attorney General in Sri Lanka
3. ^ SRI LANKA: JUDGES AND STATE LAW OFFICERS TO GET SUBSTANTIAL SALARY HIKES AND NEW ALLOWANCES
4. ^ Amerasinghe, A. Ranjit B (1986), The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka : the first 185 years, Sarvodaya Book Pub. Services, ISBN 978-955-599-000-4

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* "Permanent Holders of the Office of Attorney General". Attorney-General's Department (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 2016-11-10. Retrieved 2013-06-01.

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* e

Attorney Generals of Sri Lanka

Advocate Fiscals|

* Dunkin
* Johnston
* Dunkin
* Coke
* Giffard
* Matthews
* Norris

Queen's Advocates|

* Carr1
* Stark
* Buller
* Selby
* Thomson
* Morgan
* Cayley
* Burnside
* Fleming

Attorneys General|

* Flemming
* Grenier
* Layard
* Lascelles
* Bertram
* Gollan
* Elphinstone
* Jackson
* Illangakoon
* M. de Silva
* Nagalingam
* Rose
* Basnayake
* Gratiaen
* Jansze
* Ameer
* Tennekoon
* Pasupati
* S. de Silva
* Marapana
* Aziz
* Silva
* Kamalasabayson
* C. De Silva
* Peiris
* Wansundera
* Fernando
* Wijayatilake
* Gamlath
* Jayasuriya
* de Livera
* Rajaratnam

* 1King's Advocate

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Law of Sri Lanka

Constitutional law|

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Courts of Sri Lanka|

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Practitioners|

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Education|

* Sri Lanka Law College
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