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| Supreme Court of Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|
| ශ්රී ලංකා ශ්රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය இலங்கை உயர் நீதிமன்றம் | |
 Seal of the Supreme Court | |
 Interactive map of Supreme Court of Sri Lanka | |
| 6°56′08″N79°51′40″E / 6.93542°N 79.86102°E /6.93542; 79.86102 | |
| Established | 1801 |
| Location | Hultsdorp,Colombo |
| Coordinates | 6°56′08″N79°51′40″E / 6.93542°N 79.86102°E /6.93542; 79.86102 |
| Motto | "Inspire public trust and confidence" |
| Composition method | Presidential nomination withConstitutional Councilconfirmation |
| Authorised by | Sri Lankan Constitution |
| Judge term length | Until the age of 65 years |
| Number of positions | 17 |
| Website | supremecourt |
| Chief Justice of Sri Lanka | |
| Currently | Padman Surasena |
| Since | 27 July 2025 |
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TheSupreme Court of Sri Lanka (Sinhala:ශ්රී ලංකා ශ්රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය,romanized: Śrī Laṅkā Śreṣthādikaranaya;Tamil:இலங்கை உயர் நீதிமன்றம்,romanized: Ilaṇkai uyar nītimaṉṟam) is thehighest court inSri Lanka and the final judicial instance of record. Established in 1801 and empowered to exercise its powers subject to the provisions of theConstitution of Sri Lanka, the Supreme Court hasultimateappellate jurisdiction in constitutional matters and takes precedence over all lower courts. TheSri Lankan judicial system is a complex blend ofcommon law andcivil law. In some cases, such as those involvingcapital punishment, the decision may be passed on to thePresident of Sri Lanka for clemency petitions.[1] The currentChief Justice of Sri Lanka isPadman Surasena.[2]
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka was created on 18 April 1801 with the "Royal Charter of Justice of 1801 of King George the 3rd establishing the Supreme Courts of the Island of Ceylon" by the British, who controlled most of the island at the time, excluding the inland territory of Kandy. This creation was repealed in 1833 and replaced by a new Charter covering the whole of the island.[3] In 1948, the country gained its independence as theDominion of Ceylon and adopted a newConstitution in 1972 after becoming a republic.
Until 1971, there was a right of appeal from the Supreme Court of Ceylon to theJudicial Committee of the Privy Council inLondon, which was terminated under the terms of theCourt of Appeal Act No. 44 1971[1]
A fire occurred at the building it was housed in on 15 December 2020 that was later doused by firefighters.[4]
The Supreme Court consists of the chief justice and not fewer than six and not more than sixteen other judges, as stipulated in Article 119 of theConstitution of Sri Lanka.[5] The court was expanded to its current size on 29 October 2020 through the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution. Previously, it comprised the chief justice and a maximum of ten other judges.[6][7][8]
ThePresident of Sri Lanka is responsible for the appointment and removal of all the judges of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court judges are appointed with theadvice and consent of theConstitutional Council. From 3 October 2001 until 2011, with the 17th Amendment, the Constitutional Council had the task of advising the President on the appointment of judges.[9] If the appointment is for a period less than fourteen days, this requirement will not apply. The Justices are not allowed to hold any other office without the consent of the Constitution or the President.
In the discharge of its functions relating to the appointment of judges of the Courts, the Council may obtain the views of the Chief Justice and of the Attorney General.[9]
Judges who hold office during good behaviour can serve until the retirement age for judges fixed at 65 years, as per the Constitution. They cannot be removed except by an order of the President made after an address to theParliament and the support of the majority of its members. The order has to be presented to the President for removal on the ground of proven misbehaviour or incapacity.
A resolution for the presentation of the order of the President can be obtained by theSpeaker or be placed on the Order Paper of Parliament only if notice of the resolution is signed by no less than one-third of the total number of Members of Parliament and sets out full particulars of the alleged misbehaviour or incapacity. Parliament is required to provide for all matters relating to the presentation of the address, including the procedure for the passing of the resolution, the investigation and proof of the alleged misbehaviour or incapacity, and the right of the judge to appear and to be heard in person or by a representative, by law or by Standing Orders of Parliament.
A judge is not permitted to perform or hold any other office, whether paid or not or accept any place of profit or emolument, except as authorized by the Constitution or by written law or with the written consent of the President.[9]
A judge of the Supreme Court can only be removed by Parliament, however, if convicted of a criminal offence the judge may face a jail sentence. The 2015 indictment of JusticeSarath de Abrew was the first sitting Supreme Court judge being indicted on a criminal offence.[10][11]
As of 12 February 2026, the most recent justices to join the court is Gihan Kulatunga, whose tenure commenced on 10 December 2025.
| Current Justices of the Supreme Court[12] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Justice | Appointed by | Start date / length of service | Current status | Ref. | ||
| – | Padman Surasena | Sirisena | 9 January 2019 – 27 July 2025 (2019-01-09 –2025-07-27) 6 years, 199 days |
| [13][2] | ||
| 1 | S. Thurairaja | Sirisena | 9 January 2019 7 years, 34 days | Puisne justice | [13] | ||
| 2 | Yasantha Kodagoda | G. Rajapaksa | 3 February 2020 6 years, 9 days | Puisne justice | [14] | ||
| 3 | Dilip Nawaz | G. Rajapaksa | 1 December 2020 5 years, 73 days | Puisne justice | [15] | ||
| 4 | Kumudini Wickremasinghe | G. Rajapaksa | 1 December 2020 5 years, 73 days | Puisne justice | [15] | ||
| 5 | Shiran Gooneratne | G. Rajapaksa | 1 December 2020 5 years, 73 days | Puisne justice | [15] | ||
| 6 | Janak de Silva | G. Rajapaksa | 1 December 2020 5 years, 73 days | Puisne justice | [15] | ||
| 7 | Achala Wengappuli | G. Rajapaksa | 1 December 2020 5 years, 73 days | Puisne justice | [15] | ||
| 8 | Mahinda Samayawardhena | G. Rajapaksa | 1 December 2020 5 years, 73 days | Puisne justice | [15] | ||
| 9 | Arjuna Obeyesekere | G. Rajapaksa | 14 June 2021 4 years, 243 days | Puisne justice | [16] | ||
| 10 | Priyantha Fernando | Wickremesinghe | 6 February 2023 3 years, 6 days | Puisne justice | [17] | ||
| 11 | Sobhitha Rajakaruna | Dissanayake | 12 January 2025 1 year, 31 days | Puisne justice | [18] | ||
| 12 | Menaka Wijesundara | Dissanayake | 12 January 2025 1 year, 31 days | Puisne justice | [18] | ||
| 13 | Sampath B. Abeykoon | Dissanayake | 12 January 2025 1 year, 31 days | Puisne justice | [18] | ||
| 14 | Sampath Wijeratne | Dissanayake | 12 January 2025 1 year, 31 days | Puisne justice | [18] | ||
| 15 | Gihan Kulatunga | Dissanayake | 10 December 2025 64 days | Puisne justice | [19] | ||
| 16 | Vacant | Puisne justice | |||||
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka is housed in theHulftsdorp court complex.
On 15 December 2020 at 4:45 pm a fire started in the waste material storage area on the ground floor of the Supreme Court Complex. Several fire trucks were dispatched to douse the fire. The incident prompted a police investigation. The fire only destroyed defective material, according to Police Media. No one was injured and there was no damage to any other building in the Supreme Court area.[20]
Article 118 of the Constitution - the Supreme Court is the highest and final superior court of record and is empowered to exercise original advisory and appellate judicial functions. It is also the final Court of Record and the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka. The Supreme Court has the following powers, subject to the provisions of the Constitution:
Appeals from judgments, sentences and orders pronounced at a High CourtTrial at Bar lie direct to the Supreme Court.
Sri Lankan judiciary was considered non-independent by some analysts during the time of PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa. It was proved right by theImpeachment of Shirani Bandaranayake.[21]Shirani Bandaranayake the former chief justice was impeached by the parliament for rulings against the government, including one against a bill proposed byBasil Rajapaksa the minister for economic development and the brother of the presidentMahinda Rajapaksa.[22] Bandaranayake was replaced as chief justice by former Attorney GeneralMohan Peiris. Peiris is considered to be an ally of former president Rajapaksa and his appointment is seen by critics as further consolidation of power by the president and his family. Bandaranayake had refused to recognise the impeachment and lawyers groups had refused to work with the new chief justice. Bandaranayake's controversial impeachment has drawn much criticism and concern from within and outside of Sri Lanka.
AfterMaithripala Sirisena was elected as president the appointment ofMohan Peiris was considered null and void in law because Bandaranayake's sacking by the previous Government had no legal validity. Shirani Bandaranayake resumed office carrying a bouquet of flowers and being greeted by lawyers. After that, she lawfully retired andKanagasabapathy Sripavan was appointed as the Chief justice[23][24][25]
In one of the landmark judgements, the Supreme Court ruled that powers over land would continue to remain vested in the Central Government, and not the provincial councils.
The verdict assumes significance in the wake of the government's apparent reluctance to devolve land and police powers — stated in the 13th Amendment that followed the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987 — to its provinces. It practically killed the 13th amendment.[26]
Supreme Court judges wear scarlet gowns when attending court. On special ceremonial occasions (such as ceremonial sittings of the Supreme Court) they would wear a scarlet gown,barrister's bands andmantle and a long wig.
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