Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, PC, took oaths as the Acting Chief Justice before the President of Sri Lanka at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.
He will perform the duties and functions of the Chief Justice during the period in which the substantive Chief Justice, Preethi Padman Surasena, and a delegation of Supreme Court judges are overseas on official matters.
Justice Yasantha Kodagoda is a distinguished member of the judiciary with more than three decades of service in Sri Lanka’s legal system. He began his career in the Attorney General’s Department in 1989 and rose through its ranks as State Counsel, Deputy Solicitor General, Senior Deputy Solicitor General, and eventually Additional Solicitor General. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the legal profession, he was appointed as a President’s Counsel in 2015.
He previously served as the President of the Court of Appeal before being appointed as a Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court on 3 February 2020.
The appointment of Justice Kodagoda as Acting Chief Justice ensures continuity in the leadership of the Judiciary and the smooth functioning of the Supreme Court during the absence of the Chief Justice. (Newswire)