Supreme Court of Sri Lanka

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 This creation was repealed in 1833 and replaced by a new Charter covering the whole of the island. In 1948, the country gained its independence as the Dominion of Ceylon and adopted a new Constitution in 1972 after becoming a republic. Until 1971, there was a right of appeal from the Supreme Court of Ceylon to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, which was terminated under the terms of the Court of Appeal Act No. 44 1971 A fire occurred at the building it was housed in on 15 December 2020 that was later doused by firefighters. ==Composition==

Size of the court 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 the Constitution of Sri Lanka. 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. Appointment and confirmation The President 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 the advice and consent of the Constitutional 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. 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. ==Justices of the Supreme Court==

As of , the most recent justices to join the court is Gihan Kulatunga, whose tenure commenced on 10 December 2025. ==Facilities==

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka is housed in the Hulftsdorp court complex. Supreme Court Complex Fire 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. ==Procedure==

Jurisdiction 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: • Jurisdiction in respect of Constitutional matters (Articles 120 to 125) • Jurisdiction for the protection of fundamental rights (Article 126) • Final appellate jurisdiction (Article 127, 128) • Consultative jurisdiction (Article 129) • Jurisdiction in petitions relating to the election of President; petitions relating to the validity of a referendum; appeals from Orders/judgments of the Court of Appeal in other election petitions – Article 130 (as amended by the 14th Amendment) • Jurisdiction in respect of any breach of the privileges of Parliament (Article 132); • Jurisdiction in respect of other matters which Parliament may by law vest or ordain Appeals from judgments, sentences and orders pronounced at a High Court Trial at Bar lie direct to the Supreme Court. Independence Sri Lankan judiciary was considered non-independent by some analysts during the time of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. It was proved right by the Impeachment of Shirani Bandaranayake. Shirani Bandaranayake the former chief justice was impeached by the parliament for rulings against the government, including one against a bill proposed by Basil Rajapaksa the minister for economic development and the brother of the president Mahinda Rajapaksa. Bandaranayake was replaced as chief justice by former Attorney General Mohan 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. After Maithripala Sirisena was elected as president the appointment of Mohan 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 and Kanagasabapathy Sripavan was appointed as the Chief justice Landmark judgments 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. ==Dress==

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 and mantle and a long wig. ==See also==