Prof. Peiris to establish trust for legal research at University of Colombo and Sri Lanka Law College

The Sinhala journal, “Nitiya”, was launched at the Sri Lanka Law College recently in the presence of Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe, PC, the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, Mr. Rajeev Amarasuriya, and Mr. Prasantha Lal de Alwis, PC, Principal of the Law College.

Prof. G. L. Peiris, speaking on the occasion, complimented Mr. Prasantha Lal de Alwis on the expansion of the activities of the institution under his leadership. No longer confined to classroom instruction, his dynamic approach has made it possible for a vast array of literary, cultural, and other activities to be organized at the Law College every week. This has infused new life and energy into a hallowed institution with a proud history.

The Sinhala journal, first published in 1958, had a chequered history, and uninterrupted publication was unfortunately not possible. However, it was revived in 2024 and is today serving a crucial purpose.

He said that the journal offers an incentive to analytical writing on a variety of legal subjects, with the emphasis on new and rapidly developing areas like Artificial Intelligence. Informed criticism of judicial decisions and contribution to the legislative process should be a vital function of an institution like the Law College, he commented.

Professor Peiris announced that he would shortly arrange for the royalties to which he was entitled as author of more than ten books on the laws and legal systems of Sri Lanka, to be paid into a Trust Fund to be used for research and other academic initiatives at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, and the Law College. He said that the proposed Trustees would be the Vice-Chancellor of the University of

Colombo, the Principal of the Law College, and the Dean of the Faculty of Law in the University of Colombo.