Interference with AG: a dangerous fault line for Govt

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka has strongly emphasised that it is the duty of the government and law enforcement agencies to ensure that there is no unwarranted interference with the exercise of the powers of the Attorney General, as reported in the Daily Mirror.
A wave of social media attacks has targeted Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe. Silent protests were held in January 2026 outside courts and the Attorney General’s Department, with some groups demanding his removal, alleging corruption and bias in legal decisions. However, the opposition, joined by some civil society activists, has accused the government of carrying out a well-orchestrated campaign against the Attorney General, with the deployment of a cabal of its henchmen, at times dubbed “laundrymen.” The targeted campaign against the Attorney General is widely viewed as an attempt to undermine his office or to beat him into submission in the discharge of his duties, forcing him to toe the line of the ruling party in prosecutions.
The merits and demerits of the opposition’s criticism of the government on any issue should be weighed carefully. In practical terms, in any democracy, the opposition exists precisely to oppose the government. Criticism, therefore, is not an aberration but an inherent feature of democratic governance. However, on this issue, the Bar Association, the professional body of the country’s legal fraternity, has spoken out. Then, it becomes a matter of serious concern. The Bar Association has lent credence to the criticism by the opposition against the government over its alleged attempt to interfere with the work of the Attorney General’s Department.
In governing the country, an electoral mandate alone does not suffice. Any party in power needs to manage various forces such as trade unions, professional bodies, corporate leaders, and the diplomatic community. If any governing party antagonises these forces despite having secured public support, policy implementation will be challenging. For example, the support of schoolteachers and principals is fundamental for education reforms to take off. If doctors are perturbed, health policy implementation becomes problematic.
The role of the legal fraternity is equally important. In fact, at its core, governance is anchored in the rule of law. Lawyers, judges, prosecutors, and legal scholars serve as the custodians of this framework. The legal fraternity acts as a stabilising force, preventing the arbitrary exercise of power. Any attempt to throttle the proper enforcement of the rule of law stands in the way of governance. The current government, if it is humble enough, can learn from mistakes made by past rulers.
In this regard, the best case study is the downfall of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government. During the 2010–2015 period led by Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, then Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake was impeached, an act widely considered authoritarian. It was even interpreted as a dictatorial trend.
The legal fraternity, backed by civil society leaders, was deeply perturbed by the move. At the time, the Rajapaksa government continued to enjoy considerable public support. However, the impeachment of Ms. Bandaranayake created a crack that ultimately contributed to the government’s downfall, as captured by the saying, “What is unseen today becomes the wall you crash into tomorrow.”
The current government should take a leaf from the book of the Rajapaksa government in this regard.
Sri Lankans cherish democratic values. They are not prepared for authoritarian rule and entrenched corruption. The Rajapaksa government was defeated in 2015 not primarily over economic reasons, but over matters linked to good governance and corruption. Good governance became the campaign slogan of the then combined opposition against Mr. Rajapaksa at the 2015 presidential election. The impeachment of the Chief Justice was the biggest assault on good governance by his government at that time. That was the point at which the legal fraternity joined forces en masse against Rajapaksa rule.
The current government has butted its head against a rock by antagonising the legal fraternity. The cracks are invisible now, but the collapse will come later unless course correction is undertaken.
Even the Attorney General has stated that he is not above the law and that any decision taken by him is open to challenge before court if it is wrong. He made these remarks when a group of lawyers visited him at the Attorney General’s Department to express their solidarity in the wake of recent social media posts targeting the Attorney General and his office.
The government should follow due procedure in this regard. Organising public protests will only add fuel to the fire. It will trigger counter-action from the opposition. The government should be mindful of practical realities without sticking to its rigidity.