Four new PCs accept posts with digital signatures

The ceremonial court of the Supreme Court complex carried an unusual sense of anticipation still solemn, still dignified, yet charged with the quiet weight of history in the making. 

Four senior attorneys of the Attorney General’s Department Additional Solicitors General HiranjanPeiris, AzardNavavi, LakmaliKarunanayake and Sudarshana De Silva were elevated to the rank of President’s Counsel (PC) in recognition of their decades of service to the official bar.

After taking their oaths, the newly appointed President’s Counsel approached the declaration table not to sign with pen and paper, but to place their signatures digitally. With four simple fingertip presses on a digital screen, they became the first group in Sri Lankan legal history to affix their signatures electronically upon appointment as PC.

Upon the conclusion of formalities, Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena underscored the significance of the transition.

“These appointees,” Cheif Justice stated, “will go down in the annals of legal history as the first to be inducted utilising their digital signature.”

Chief Justice’s comments did more than congratulate. They marked the moment as if placing a bookmark at the precise point where Sri Lanka’s legal system stepped with intention into the digital age. Under Chief Justice’s leadership, the judiciary’s push toward digitalisation found its symbolic turning point in the very act of these four officers accepting their highest professional honour.

Here begins the story of this year’s newly appointed President’s Counsel, each bringing to the profession a legacy of dedication, experience and distinction.

 

 

 

His journey into the heart of Sri Lanka’s legal system began in the polished corridors of Royal College, Colombo where discipline and curiosity shaped the young student who would one day become an Additional Solicitor General.

After being sworn in as an Attorney-at-Law in June 1992, he entered the AG’s Department in 1995 a step that marked the beginning of an unwavering 30 year commitment to public service. Over the decades, Hiranjan became known as the steady hand behind some of the country’s busiest criminal and civil circuits. From Sabaragamuwa to the North Western Province and across Negombo, Matale, Chilaw and Puttalam, his supervision brought both order and integrity to the work of the AG’s Department.

His expertise was sharpened not only in courtrooms but across borders. In Korea, he underwent forensic investigation training an experience that deepened his technical understanding of modern prosecutorial work. Representing Sri Lanka at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body conference on eliminating illicit trade in tobacco products further broadened his global outlook.

Promoted as ASG in July 2024, Hiranjan’s career reflects quiet leadership, wide ranging experience and a dedication to justice that spans three decades.

 

For him, the foundations of discipline and conviction were laid early at Trinity College, Kandy an institution known for moulding men of integrity. His path turned toward the legal world at Sri Lanka Law College, where he built the knowledge that would power a long public service career.

In 1998, he joined the Attorney General’s Department as a State Counsel, stepping into a world where every file carried weight and every decision shaped lives. Over the years, he became one of the dependable pillars of the official bar, handling prosecutions with precision and professionalism.

Azard’s story is one of consistency the kind that often goes uncelebrated but forms the backbone of the justice system. His rise to Additional Solicitor General stands as a testament to years of steadfast service, quiet perseverance and deep understanding of the law.

 

 

From the classrooms of St. Bridget’s Convent, Colombo 7, emerged a student whose discipline, intellect and curiosity would one day lead her to the centre of Sri Lanka’s most notable criminal trials. Lakmali Karunanayake graduated from Sri Lanka Law College with First Class Honours an early marker of the excellence that would follow her.

In December 1997, she took her oaths as an Attorney-at-Law and joined the Attorney General’s Department the following year. Over 27 years, she built a career marked by courage, skill and tireless preparation. She also expanded her academic horizons, earning a Diploma in Transitional Justice and Human Rights from Cape Town in 2006 and later completing a Master of Laws in Public International Law from the University of Colombo in 2014.

Her courtroom record reads like a list of Sri Lanka’s most gripping criminal cases:

Each case required precision, resilience and emotional strength qualities Lakmali displayed with quiet command. Her rise to ASG stands as recognition of a career defined by intellect, discipline, and remarkable prosecutorial skill.

 

 

He studied at Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Arawwala and Royal College, Colombo-7. Sudarshana entered Sri Lanka Law College and passed the first and final year examinations with First Class Honours, winning the Ladduwahetty Gold Medal for Excellence and the subject prize for Law of Evidence.

After being admitted to the Bar in 1996, he joined the AG’s Department in 1999, beginning a steady climb through its ranks.

His path took him through many of the country’s High Courts, including Colombo where he gained a reputation for strong advocacy and sound judgement. His promotions chart a clear trajectory of trust and responsibility, Senior State Counsel in 2009, Deputy Solicitor General in 2018, Senior DSG in 2023 and ASG in 2025.

But Sudarshana’s story extends far beyond Sri Lanka. With an LLB and LLM in hand, he served as a Puisne Judge in the Fiji Islands from 2013 to 2015 an experience that deepened his perspective on comparative justice systems.

Back home, his responsibilities broadened. Appointed Judge Advocate of the Sri Lanka Air Force in 2022, he also became an active member of the AML/CFT Unit and the Bribery Unit, while heading the Proceeds of Crime Unit a critical arm in the fight against financial wrongdoing. He successfully concluded the prosecutions in the Janaka Perera assassination case, abduction of a student of SAITM by former DIG Vass Gunawardena and others, the Money Laundering case against Gampola Withanage Samantha Kumara alias Wele Suda and others where property to the value of Rs.175 million confiscated to State and Money Laundering cases against two Chinese Nationals where more than Rs.700 million was confiscated by the State.  His career is one of breadth, balance, and global exposure a blend that strengthens the system he serves.