President’s Counsel Mr. K.A. Parinda Ranasinghe has been appointed as the new Attorney General of Sri Lanka by President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
He was appointed in terms of Article 61E (b) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka at the Presidential Secretariat, a short while ago, the President’s Media Division said.
The former Senior Additional Solicitor General was recently appointed as the Acting Attorney General.
The Constitutional Council yesterday unanimously approved the nomination of Senior Additional Solicitor General Parinda Ranasinghe as the Attorney General.
Ranasinghe took oaths as the Acting Attorney General before the Chief Justice on July 01, after the proposal to extend former Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam’s term by another 06 months was defeated for the second time by the Constitutional Council.
However, the appointment sparked controversy, as allegations were levelled against the government claiming that the new appointment overlooked Senior Additional Solicitor General Ayesha Jinasena, despite her seniority and eligibility for the role, due to gender bias.
However, in response to the relevant allegations, President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake emphasized that there is no constitutional requirement to appoint the senior-most officer from the Attorney General’s Department to this position based on seniority.
Issuing a statement, he also expressed that the President is constitutionally empowered, under Article 41C of the Constitution, to appoint the Attorney General with the approval of the Constitutional Council.