# Attorney General of Sri Lanka

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 Parinda Ranasinghe Jnr. 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

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.
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.

## Powers and duties

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

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.

## List of attorneys general

Data based on:
* Amerasinghe, A. Ranjit B. (1986), The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka: the first 185 years, Sarvodaya
| # | 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 | Frederick North |
| 3 | James Dunkin | | 22 April 1806 | 1808 | Thomas Maitland |
| 4 | William Coke | England | 5 September 1808 | 1811 | Thomas Maitland |
| 5 | Ambrose Hardinge Giffard | Ireland | 26 February 1811 | 1821 | Thomas Maitland |
| 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 | James Alexander Stewart-Mackenzie |
| 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 | James Robert Longden |
| Attorney General of Ceylon (1884–1972) ||||||
| 16 | Francis Fleming | | 1 January 1884 | 1886 | Arthur Hamilton-Gordon |
| 17 | Samuel Grenier | | 30 September 1886 | 1892 | Arthur Hamilton-Gordon |
| 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 | Reginald Edward Stubbs |
| 26 | Manikku Wadumestri Hendrick de Silva | | 7 July 1942 | 1946 | Henry Monck-Mason Moore |
| 27 | Chellappah Nagalingam | | 25 January 1946 | 1947 | Henry Monck-Mason Moore |
| 28 | Alan Edward Percival Rose | | 23 October 1947 | 1951 | Henry Monck-Mason Moore |
| 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 | Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke |
| 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 | William Gopallawa |
| 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 | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| 39 | Kandapper Kamalasabayson | Eastern | 1999 | 2007 | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| 40 | Chitta De Silva | Western | 2007 | 2008 | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| 41 | Mohan Peiris | | 2008 | 2011 | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| 42 | Eva Wansundera | North Western | 2011 | 2012 | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| 43 | Palitha Fernando | | 17 July 2012 | 23 October 2014 | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| 44 | Yuwanjana Wijayatilake | | 23 October 2014 | 10 January 2016 | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| 45 | Suhada Gamlath | | 10 January 2016 | 11 February 2016 | Maithripala Sirisena |
| 46 | Jayantha Jayasuriya | | 11 February 2016 | 29 April 2019 | Maithripala Sirisena |
| 47 | Dappula de Livera | | 29 April 2019 | 25 May 2021 | Maithripala Sirisena |
| 48 | Sanjay Rajaratnam | | 26 May 2021 | 12 July 2024 | Gotabaya Rajapaksa |
| 49 | Parinda Ranasinghe Jr. | | 12 July 2024 | present | Ranil Wickramasinghe |