Legal Officers’ Association bids farewell to P. A. Ratnayake

Sarath Malalasekera

The Legal Officers’ Association bade farewell to their colleague Additional Solicitor General, P.A. Ratnayake P.C. who has been elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court, at a ceremony at the Attorney General’s Office recently.

Legal Officers’ Association President, Deputy Solicitor General A. Gnanathasan said Justice P.A. Ratnayake has distinguished himself both in the academic and professional spheres of the law.

Justice Ratnayake passed the final examination for the admission of Attorneys-at-Law and was enrolled as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on August 25, 1977. He is also a Solicitor of the UK, DSG Gnanathasan said.

The DSG said the new Supreme Court Judge Justice Ratnayake joined the Attorney General’s Department on September 1, 1978 and was confirmed in that post on July 1, 1980. He was appointed as a Supervising Officer and as an Acting Senior State Counsel on January 30, 1989 and was confirmed on July 1, 1992.

Justice Ratnayake was appointed as an Additional Solicitor General on May 25, 2003. He was in-charge and headed the District Court Unit from August 2001 - 2002. He was appointed head of the Court of Appeal Unit from 2002 to March 26, 2004. Thereafter, he was head of the Civil Division and head of the Supreme Court Unit from March 26, 2004 to date.

While Justice Ratnayake was in the Attorney General’s Department he obtained two Masters Degrees - one from the University of Brussels in International and Competitive Law graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1985 and the other in International Maritime Law from the International Maritime Law Institute of the International Maritime Organisation in Malta graduating with distinction in 1992. In addition, he received the IMO Secretary General’s Second prize for best overall performance at the LL.M. Examination in 1992, the DSG said.

The New Supreme Court Judge Justice Ratnayake was appointed as a President’s Counsel and took his oaths on September 19, 2003. He functioned as Director of Merchant Shipping from 1997 to July 2000.

Justice Ratnayake had functioned as head of the Sri Lanka Delegation to the regular sessions of the International Maritime Organisation in 1997 and 1999.

A member of the Board of Directors at the Central Freight Bureau from 1997 to July 2000, a member of the Board of Directors of the Marine Pollution Prevention Authority, a member of the Drafting Committee at the IMO/UNCTAD Diplomatic Conference on the Arrest of Ships Convention held in Geneva.

Heads of the Co-ordinating Committee of the In-House Training Programme of the Attorney General’s Department done in collaboration with the Legal and Judicial Reform Project of the Justice Ministry, President of the Legal Officers’ Association of the Attorney General’s Department, President of the Alumni Association of Sri Lanka of the International Development Law Organization of Rome, Italy and an examiner in Civil Procedure at the Sri Lanka Law College.

The New Supreme Court Judge, Justice P.A. Ratnayake will have his ceremonial sittings on May 27 at the Superior Courts Complex, Colombo.