List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka
Justices
† Denotes current justices ♦ Began as Provisional or Acting Puisne Justice ♠ Tenure demoted to de facto † Died in office

List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka

Section Title: Justices
Table Section Text: † Denotes current justices ♦ Began as Provisional or Acting Puisne Justice ♠ Tenure demoted to de facto † Died in office

No.	Name	Province	Birth/death	Term of active service	Term of service as Chief	Length in days of active service	Length in days as Chief	Appointed by	Law school	Position prior to appointment

1	Codrington Edmund Carrington	England	1769 - 1849	March 1801 – 2 April 1806	March 1801 – 2 April 1806	North	—	Counsel to the East India Company

2	Edmund Henry Lushington	England	1766 - 1839	5 September 1801 – 1809	15 April 1807 - 1809	North	University of Cambridge	Barrister

3	Alexander Johnston	Scotland	1775 - 1849	15 April 1807 – 14 February 1809 6 November 1811 - 1819	6 November 1811 - 1819	671+?	Maitland	University of Göttingen	Advocate Fiscal of Ceylon

4	William Coke	England	1776 - 1818	6 March 1809 – 1 September 1818 ♦†	6 March 1809 – 1811	3,466	Maitland	University of Oxford	Advocate Fiscal of Ceylon

5	Henry Byrne	5 November 1818 – 1819	—	—	Brownrigg	Barrister

6	Ambrose Hardinge Giffard	Ireland	1771 – 1827	8 April 1819 – 2 March 1827	8 April 1819 – 2 March 1827	2,885	2,885	Brownrigg	Trinity College, Dublin	Advocate Fiscal of Ceylon

7	Richard Ottley	1782 – 1845	8 May 1820 – 1833	1 November 1827 – 1833	Barnes	Chief Justice of Grenada

8	Henry Matthews	England	1789 – 1828	10 October 1827 – 1828	—	—	Barnes	King's College, Cambridge	Advocate Fiscal of Ceylon

9	Charles Marshall	England	1788 - 1873	14 June 1828 – 3 March 1836♦	18 February 1833 – 3 March 1836	2,850	1,109	Barnes	Jesus College, Cambridge

10	William Rough	England	1772 - 1838	18 February 1833 - 1838	—	—	Trinity College, Cambridge

11	William Norris	1834 – 1837	27 April 1836 – 1837	Wilmot-Horton	Advocate Fiscal of Ceylon

12	John Jeremie	Guernsey	1795 - 1841	10 March 1836 – 1840	—	—	Wilmot-Horton	Public prosecutor of Mauritius

13	John Fredrick Stoddart	Malta	1805 - 1839	2 June 1838 – 19 August 1839†	—	443	—	University of Glasgow

14	Anthony Oliphant	Scotland	1793 – 1859	22 October 1838 - 1854	22 October 1838 - 1854	Attorney General of the Cape Colony

15	J. G. Hildebrand	23 November 1839 –	—	—

16	William Ogle Carr	England	1802 - 1856	19 December 1939 - 1856	17 April 1854 – 1856	Stewart-Mackenzie	King's Advocate of Ceylon

17	John Stark	10 October 1840 –	—	—	Queen's Advocate of Ceylon

18	Christopher Temple	28 January 1854 –	—	—	Judge of the District Court of Colombo

19	Paul Ivy Sterling	20 November 1855 –	—	—	Attorney General of Hong Kong

20	William Carpenter Rowe	1860	1857 – 1859	—

21	Edward Shepherd Creasy	England	1812 - 1878	–	27 March 1860 - 1875	University of Cambridge

22	Richard Morgan	–	—	—	Queen's Advocate of Ceylon

23	George Lawson	–	—	—

24	Henry Byerley Thompson	1867	1 January 1863 –	—	—	Queen's Advocate of Ceylon

25	Charles Henry Stewart	11 January 1867 – ♦	—	—

26	Richard Cayley	England	26 July 1874 – 1882	1 October 1879 – 1882	—	Queen's Advocate of Ceylon

27	Lovell Burchett Clarence	5 July 1879 –	—	—

28	Harry Dias Bandaranaike	5 July 1879 –	—	—

29	William Hackett	3 February 1877 - 1877	3 February 1877 - 1877	—

30	John Budd Phear	England	18 October 1877 –	—	—

31	Archibald Campbell Lawrie	1837 - 1914	6 July 1892 – 1901	—	—	Judge of the District Court of Kandy

32	Jacobus de Wet	South Africa	31 May 1882 – 29 May 1883	31 May 1882 – 29 May 1883	363	363

33	Bruce Burnside	Bahamas	21 May 1883 – 1893	21 May 1883 – 1893	—	Queen's Advocate of Ceylon

34	John Winfield Bonser	13 November 1893 – 1902	13 November 1893 – 1902	Chief Justice of the Straits Settlements

35	George Henry Withers	–	—	—

36	Dodwell Browne	–	—	—

37	Fredrick Charles Moncrieff	4 April 1900 –	—	—

38	Henry Lorentz Wendt	15 October 1901 – 28 November 1910	—	—

39	John Page Middleton	28 January 1902 – 1912	—	—	Puisine Judge of the Supreme Court of Cyprus

40	Charles Layard	Western	26 April 1902 – 18 June 1906	26 April 1902 – 18 June 1906	1,514	1,514

41	Joseph Richard Grenier	28 November 1910 – 1912♦	—	—

42	Alexander Wood Renton	3 September 1905 – 1918	22 August 1914 - 1918	—

43	Alfred George Lascelles	England	1 May 1911 – 1914	1 May 1911 – 1914	—

44	Joseph Turner Hutchinson	England	23 October 1906 – 1 May 1911	23 October 1906 – 1 May 1911	1,651	1,651

45	James Cecil Walter Pereira	4 July 1912 –	—	—

46	James Arthur Van Langenburg	–	—	—

47	Thomas De Sampayo	1915 –	—	—	University of Cambridge	Commissioner of Assize

48	George Francis Macdaniel Ennis	5 August 1912 –	—	—

49	Walter Shaw	10 December 1914 –	—	—	Chief Justice of British Honduras

50	Gualterus Stewart Schneider	–	—	—

51	Anton Bertram	1869 - 1937	26 July 1918 – 1925	26 July 1918 – 1925	University of Cambridge	Attorney General of Ceylon

52	Hermann Albert Loos	–	—	—

53	William Thomas Porter	12 January 1922 –	—	—

54	Thomas Garvin	1881 - 1940	21 June 1921 – 1935	—	—	Manning	Colombo Law College	Solicitor General of Ceylon

55	John Adrian St. Valentine Jayewardene	1877 – 1927	1923 –	—	—	Manning	Judge of the District Court of Colombo

56	Llwellyn Chisholm Dalton	14 March 1925 –	—	—

57	Lewis Matthew Maartensz	18 February 1935 –	—	—

58	Maas Thajoon Akbar	1880 - 1944	–	—	—	University of Cambridge	Solicitor General of Ceylon

59	Charles Ernest St. John Branch	1865 - 1939	3 July 1925 – 25 May 1926	3 July 1925 – 25 May 1926	326	326	Durham University

60	Stanley Fisher	1867 -	11 December 1926 – 1930	11 December 1926 – 1930	Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago

61	Robert William Lyall Grant	17 February 1926 –	—	—

62	Allen Drieberg	19 September 1927 –	—	—

63	Eugene Wilfred Jayewardene	Western	1874 - 1932	May 1928 –	—	—	Fletcher	Member of the Colombo Municipal Council

64	Philip James Macdonell	1873 - 1940	3 October 1930 - 1936	3 October 1930 - 1936	Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago

65	Lucian Macull Dominic de Silva	–	—	—

66	William Edward Barber	–	—	—

67	Francis Harold Bertram	19 February 1935 –	—	—

68	Kenneth Poyser	–	—	—

69	Francis Soertsz	1951	12 November 1936 –	—	—

70	Sidney Abrahams	England	1885 - 1957	3 July 1936 – 1939	3 July 1936 – 1939	University of Cambridge

71	Francis Moseley	2 August 1936 –	—	—

72	Vincent Fernando	11 November 1937 –	—	—

73	Hector Hearne	21 May 1937 –	—	—

74	Arthur Eric Keuneman	4 March 1938 –	—	—	University of Cambridge

75	Oswald Leslie De Kretser II	Western	1882 - 1959	8 April 1938 – 1945	—	—	Caldecott	University College, Colombo	Commissioner of Assize

76	Arthur Wijewardena	1887 - 1964	22 August 1938 – 1950	15 January 1949 – 1950	University of Cambridge	Solicitor General of Ceylon

77	J. H. B. Nihill	18 November 1938 –	—	—

78	John Curtois Howard	1 December 1939 – 1945	1 December 1939 – 1945	Attorney General of Cyprus

79	G. H. F. Cannon	–	—	—

80	Edward Jayetileke	14 May 1942 – 11 October 1951	1950 – 11 October 1951	3,437	Caldecott	Solicitor General of Ceylon

81	Alan Rose	11 January 1945 – 1956	11 October 1951 – 1956

82	A. R. H. Canakeratne	1886 - 1960	28 March 1945 –	—	—	Ceylon Law College University of London	Commissioner of Assize

83	Manikku Wadumestri Hendrick de Silva	–	—	—	Attorney General of Ceylon

84	Felix Reginald Dias Bandaranaike I	1861 - 1947	3 September 1946 –	—	—	University of Cambridge	Judge of the District Court of Colombo

85	Chellappah Nagalingam	1893 - 1958	22 July 1947 – 1958	—	—	Ceylon Law College	Attorney General of Ceylon

86	Ralph Windham	23 July 1947 –	—	—

87	Hema Henry Basnayake	1902 -	23 October 1947 – 3 August 1964	1 January 1956 – 3 August 1964	6,129	3,137	Senanayake	Attorney General of Ceylon

88	Edward Frederick Noel Gratiaen	22 March 1948 –	—	—	Senanayake	Attorney General of Ceylon

89	E. H. T. Gunasekera	1 March 1949 – 25 January 1962	—	4,713	—	Senanayake

90	M. F. S. Pulle	28 September 1949 –	—	—	Senanayake

91	V. L. St. C. Swan	1 May 1950 –	—	—	Senanayake

92	H. A. de Silva	30 November 1950 –	—	—	Senanayake

93	Kairshasp Choksy	Western	–	—	—

94	Henry Weerasooriya	10 July 1953 – 24 February 1964	—	3,881	—	Senanayake

95	K. D. de Silva	10 July 1953 –	—	—	Senanayake

96	Miliani Sansoni	10 May 1954 – 17 November 1966	3 August 1964 – 17 November 1966	4,574	836	Kotelawala

97	Hugh Fernando	1910 - 1976	16 May 1955 – 17 November 1973	20 November 1966 - 17 November 1973	6,760	2,554	Kotelawala

98	Thusew Samuel Fernando	2 May 1956 –	—	—	Bandaranaike	Colombo Law College	Solicitor General of Sri Lanka

99	Nadaraja Sinnetamby	3 May 1956 –	—	—	Bandaranaike

100	Lionel de Silva	5 November 1959 – ♦	—	—	Dahanayake

101	Leonard de Silva	16 August 1966 –	—	—	Senanayake

102	Henry Thambiah	Northern	1906 – 1997	1 December 1961 – 27 May 1968	—	2,369	—	Bandaranaike	University College, Colombo Ceylon Law College University of London	Commissioner of Assize

103	Kingsley Herath	25 January 1962 –	—	—	Bandaranaike

104	Asoka Abeyesundere	Southern	1906 - 1988	20 April 1962 – 3 May 1968	—	2,205	—	Bandaranaike	Ceylon Law College

105	Ponnuduraiswamy Sriskandarajah	1905 - 1968	22 June 1962 – 8 February 1967	—	1,692	—	Bandaranaike	Ceylon University College Ceylon Law College	Commissioner of Assize

106	Gardiye Punchihewage Amaraseela Silva	22 June 1962 – 1974	1973 – 1974	—	Bandaranaike

107	Lionel Sirimanne	–	—	—	Bandaranaike

108	Vaithalingam Manicavasagar	Western	1906 - 1993	17 December 1964 – 14 December 1967	—	1,092	—	Bandaranaike	Colombo Law College	Commissioner of Assize

109	Anthony Alles	Central	1911 – 2003	1964 – 1974	—	—	Bandaranaike	University of Ceylon Ceylon Law College University of London	Solicitor General of Sri Lanka

110	Veeravagu Sivasubramaniam	1908 - 1985	1966 – 1970	—	—	Senanayake	University of London	Commissioner of Assize

111	George Samerawickrame	18 November 1966 – 9 April 1981	—	5,256	—	Senanayake

112	Victor Tennekoon	Central	1914 -	8 February 1967 – 1 July 1970 1 January 1974 - 8 September 1977	1 January 1974 - 8 September 1977	1,239+1,346	1,346	Senanayake	University of London Ceylon Law College	Judge of the Court of Appeal

113	Christopher Weeramantry	Western	1926 -	1967 – 30 April 1972	—	—	Senanayake	University of Ceylon University of London	Commissioner of Assize

114	Oswald Leslie De Kretser III	Western	1910 -	1968 – 21 January 1972	—	—	Senanayake	University College, Colombo University of London	Judge of the District Court of Panadura

115	Samarapilimudalige Wijayatilake	Central	1912 - 1990	1968 – 16 May 1975	—	—	Senanayake	University College, Colombo Ceylon Law College	Commissioner of Assize

116	Pandita Gunawadena	1968 – 10 February 1971	—	—	Senanayake

117	Vincent Thamotheram	1915 -	23 March 1970 – 1980	—	—	Senanayake	Ceylon University College Ceylon Law College	Commissioner of Assize

118	Hector Deheragoda	22 February 1972 – 27 December 1976	—	1,770	—	Bandaranaike

119	Cuda Banda Walgampaya	22 February 1972 – 3 January 1976	—	1,411	—	Bandaranaike

120	Jaya Pathirana	2000	22 February 1972 – 1978	—	—	Bandaranaike

121	Dharmadasa Wimalaratne	10 April 1972 - ? 20 October 1980 – 15 September 1985	—	1,791	—	Bandaranaike

122	Tellipalai Rajaratnam	1920 - 1994	10 April 1972 – 1978	—	—	Bandaranaike	Commissioner of Assize

123	Donald Sirimanne	1973 –	—	—	Gopallawa

124	Cyril Udalagama	1 January 1974 –	—	—	Gopallawa

125	T. A. de S. Wijesundera	1 January 1974 –	—	—	Gopallawa

126	Malcolm Perera	1 January 1974 –	—	—	Gopallawa

127	Izadean Mohamed Ismail	1 January 1974 – 18 December 1981	—	2,908	—	Gopallawa

128	Joe Weereratne	1 January 1974 –	—	—	Gopallawa

129	Arulampalam Vythialingam	1 January 1974 –	—	—	Gopallawa

130	Noel Tittawela	1 January 1974 –	—	—	Gopallawa

131	Suppiah Sharvananda	Northern	1923 - 2007	1 January 1974 – 1988	29 October 1984 – 1988	Gopallawa	Colombo Law College University of London

132	Somaratne Walpita	1 January 1974 –	—	—	Gopallawa

133	Wilmot Gunasekera	2 May 1974 –	—	—	Gopallawa

134	Barnes Ratwatte II	1918 - 2004	2 December 1974 – ? 11 April 1981 – 22 November 1983	—	955	—	Gopallawa Jayewardene	Ceylon Law College	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

135	Raja Wanasundera	Sabaragamuwa	1924 - 2012	5 June 1975 – ?	—	—	Gopallawa	University College, Colombo Ceylon Law College University of London Stanford University	Solicitor General of Sri Lanka

136	Percy Colin-Thomé	Southern	1922 -	12 January 1976 – 1977 29 December 1981 – ?	—	—	Gopallawa Jayewardene	University of Ceylon University of Cambridge	Judge of the High Court of Colombo

137	Neville Samarakoon	1919 - 1990	– 21 October 1984	1977 – 21 October 1984	Jayewardene	University College, Colombo Colombo Law College

138	Victor Perera	24 July 1981 – 18 August 1983	—	755	—	Jayewardene

139	Anton Soza	Western	1919 - 2013	26 January 1982 – 3 February 1984	—	738	—	Jayewardene	University of London	Judge of the Court of Appeal

140	Parinda Ranasinghe	15 November 1982 – 1991	1988 – 1991	Jayewardene	Colombo Law College

141	Abdul Cader	8 December 1982 – 28 May 1985	—	902	—	Jayewardene

142	Heevi Rodrigo	8 December 1982 – 4 December 1984	—	727	—	Jayewardene

143	E. A. D. Atukorale	27 November 1984 –	—	—	Jayewardene

144	Herbert Thambiah	Northern	1926 - 1992	27 November 1984 – 1992	1991 – 1991	Jayewardene	University of Ceylon Ceylon Law College	Judge of the Court of Appeal

145	Lucian Hector de Alwis	2018	27 November 1984 –	—	—	Jayewardene

146	O. S. M. Seneviratne	Southern	1924 - 2007	10 February 1986 – 1989	—	—	Jayewardene	University of Ceylon Ceylon Law College	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

147	H. A. G. de Silva	10 February 1986 –	—	—	Jayewardene

Mark Fernando	1941 - 2009	4 March 1988 – 2005	—	—	Jayewardene	University of Ceylon, Peradeniya

A. R. B. Amerasinghe	1937 - 2013	–	—	—

A. R. N. Fernando	–	—	—

Ameer Ismail	1990 – 1994	—	—	Premadasa	University of Ceylon Ceylon Law College	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Andrew Ranjan Perera	–	—	—

Pathmanathan Ramanathan	1932 - 2006	–	—	—	University of Wales	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

K. M. M. B. Kulatunge	–	—	—

G. P. S. de Silva	–	1991 — 1999

Sarath N. Silva	1995 – 16 September 1999	16 September 1999 – 7 June 2009	3,552	Kumaratunga	Sri Lanka Law College University of Brussels	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Shirani Bandaranayake	North Western	1958 -	30 October 1996 – 13 January 2013 28 January 2015 – 29 January 2015	18 May 2011 – 13 January 2013 28 January 2015 – 29 January 2015	5,919+1	606+1	Kumaratunga	University of Colombo University of London	Lawyer

C. V. Vigneswaran	Western	1939 -	March 2001 – October 2004	—	—	Kumaratunga	University of Ceylon Ceylon Law College	Judge of the Court of Appeal

Asoka de Silva	1946 -	1 August 2001 – 17 May 2011	8 June 2009 – 17 May 2011	3,576	708	Kumaratunga	University of Peradeniya University of Colombo University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Chandra Nihal Jayasinghe	19 February 2003 – 29 February 2008	—	1,836	—	Kumaratunga	University of Colombo University of Lund	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Nimal Dissanayake	– 23 April 2008	—	—	Kumaratunga

Shiranee Tilakawardane	19 February 2003 - 5 April 2014	—	1,901	—	Kumaratunga	Sri Lanka Law College	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Nimal Gamini Amaratunga	January 2005 – March 2014	—	—	Kumaratunga	University of Colombo International Maritime Law Institute	Judge of the Court of Appeal

Saleem Marsoof	February 2005 – 2014	—	—	Kumaratunga	University of Colombo, University of San Diego School of Law	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Andrew Somawansa	North Western	28 May 2006 – October 2008	—	—	Rajapaksa	University of Ceylon University of Nevada	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Jagath Balapatabendi	Southern	–	—	—	Rajapaksa	Ceylon Law College	Judge of the Court of Appeal

Kanagasabapathy Sripavan	1952 -	27 March 2008 – 28 February 2017	30 January 2015 – 28 February 2017	3,260	760	Rajapaksa	Sri Lanka Law College	Judge of the Court of Appeal

P. A. Ratnayake	2 May 2008 – 15 February 2013	—	1,751	—	Rajapaksa	University of Brussels

Chandra Ekanayake	November 2008 – March 2016	—	—	Rajapaksa	Sri Lanka Law College	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

S. I. Imam	Central	9 January 2009 – 20 February 2013	—	1,503	—	Rajapaksa	Judge of the Court of Appeal

R. K. S. Suresh Chandra	17 June 2010 – July 2012	—	—	Rajapaksa

Sathya Hettige	10 July 2011 – 18 April 2014	—	1,013	—	Rajapaksa	University of Colombo	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Priyasath Dep	1953 -	10 July 2011 – 2 March 2017	2 March 2017 – 12 October 2018	2,062	588	Rajapaksa	University of Colombo International Institute of Social Studies	Solicitor General of Sri Lanka

Eva Wanasundera	North Western	1954 -	7 July 2012 – 14 December 2018	—	2,351	—	Rajapaksa	Sri Lanka Law College University of Leicester	Attorney General of Sri Lanka

Mohan Peiris♠	15 January 2013 – 28 January 2015	15 January 2013 – 28 January 2015	743	743	Rajapaksa	Sri Lanka Law College	Attorney General of Sri Lanka

Rohini Marasinghe	26 April 2013 – November 2015	—	—	Rajapaksa	University of Hartford	Judge of the Court of Appeal

Buwaneka Aluwihare†	4 December 2013 – present	—	1,972	—	Rajapaksa	University of London	Additional Solicitor General of Sri Lanka

Sisira de Abrew†	Western	7 May 2014 – present	—	1,818	—	Rajapaksa	Sri Lanka Law College	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Sarath de Abrew	1953 - 2016	7 May 2014 – January 2016	—	—	Rajapaksa	Sri Lanka Law College	Judge of the Court of Appeal

Priyantha Jayawardena†	7 May 2014 – present	—	1,818	—	Rajapaksa	Sri Lanka Law College University of Aberdeen

Upali Abeyratne	17 December 2014 – August 2017	—	—	Rajapaksa	Judge of the Court of Appeal

Anil Goonaratne	30 January 2015 – December 2017	—	—	Sirisena	Sri Lanka Law College University of Exeter	Judge of the Court of Appeal

Kankanithanthri Chitrasiri	3 December 2015 – February 2018	—	1,243	—	Sirisena	University of Sri Lanka Queen Mary University of London	Judge of the Court of Appeal

Nalin Perera	3 March 2016 – 29 April 2019	12 October 2018 – 29 April 2019	1,142	189	Sirisena	Sri Lanka Law College	Judge of the Court of Appeal

Prasanna Jayawardena†	16 June 2016 – present	—	1,047	—	Sirisena	University of Colombo	Judge of the Court of Appeal

Vijith Malalgoda†	May 2017 – present	—	—	Sirisena	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Lalith Dehideniya†	16 January 2018 – present	—	468	—	Sirisena	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Murdhu Fernando†	9 March 2018 – present	—	416	—	Sirisena	Senior Additional Solicitor General

Sithampbarampillai Thurairaja†	Central	9 January 2019 – present	—	110	—	Sirisena	University of Colombo University College London	Justice of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Gamini Amarasekera†	9 January 2019 – present	—	110	—	Sirisena	Sri Lanka Law College	Justice of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Padman Surasena†	9 January 2019 – present	—	110	—	Sirisena	Sri Lanka Law College	President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka

Jayantha Jayasuriya†	29 April 2019 – present	29 April 2019 – present	0	0	Sirisena	Attorney General of Sri Lanka

Sentence(s)

Raja Wanasundera (1924 - 2012) served as a Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court and the Solicitor General of Sri Lanka.

final_sentence: Raja Wanasundera (1924 - 2012) served as a Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court and the Solicitor General of Sri Lanka.