Sarath N. Silva

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Sarath Nanda Silva is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.

Educated at Sri Lanka College of Law, Sarath Nanda Silva holds a Master of Laws degree Magna Cum Laude from the University of Brussels. He was admitted as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in June 1967 and commenced his career in the Attorney General's department in 1968 as a Crown Counsel. He was promoted to Senior State Counsel in 1975 and Deputy Solicitor-General in 1979. Appointed as a Judge of the Court of Appeal in 1987, he became the President of the Court of Appeal in 1994.

[edit] Controversy and impeachment

There were a number of complaints against the Chief Justice's conduct: A 2002 book by Victor Ivan entitled The Unfinished Struggle exposed extensive misconduct and abuse of authority by Justice Silva during his time as Attorney-General and Chief Justice. According to the AHRC, there have been no official denial of the allegations made in the book, nor has the author been subjected to legal action.

In August 2001, the International Bar Association (IBA) concluded that there was "an overwhelming need for an independent credible judicial system" in Sri Lanka. It detailed instances of lack of accountability, breach of natural justice and potential for undue interference and pointed out that institutions which should be protecting the rule of law, including the President, government and the Chief Justice, were acting to undermine it.

The IBA said judges had been removed by the Chief Justice without enquiry and, in June 2001, a parliamentary opposition impeachment motion to remove him was restrained by the Supreme Court, of which he is head.