The Constitutional Council (CC) has unanimously approved the nomination of Acting Attorney General (AG), President’s Counsel (PC) Parinda Ranasinghe Junior as the AG.

Senior Additional Solicitor General (SASG) Ranasinghe Jnr. PC took oaths as the Acting AG before the Chief Justice on 1 July, after the proposal to extend former AG Sanjay Rajaratnam PC’s term by another six months was defeated for the second time at the CC meeting.

However, Ranasinghe Jr.’s appointment sparked controversy, as allegations were levelled against the Government, claiming that the new appointment overlooked SG Ayesha Jinasena PC, despite her seniority and eligibility for the role, due to gender bias.

However, in response to the relevant allegations, the President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake emphasised that there is no constitutional requirement to appoint the senior-most officer from the AG’s Department to this position based on seniority. He also expressed that the President is constitutionally empowered under Article 41C of the Constitution, to appoint the AG with the approval of the CC.