Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) President elect Kaushalya Nawaratne assured that the BASL would continue to function independently.
Senior attorney Kaushalya Navaratne was inducted as the 27th President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) at the 49th Annual Convocation of the BASL held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) on Saturday .
He succeeds President’s Counsel Saliya Pieris. Navaratne was unanimously elected the BASL President on January 11. Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya PC and Attorney General Sanjaya Rajaratnam PC graced the event.
Nawaratne pledged to stand firmly against any undue interference to the judiciary. He said that protecting the independence of the judiciary is important to democracy. He assured that the Bar would uphold the Constitution and protect the rule of law, while defending human rights all the time.
He said that legal education should be revisited and opportunities should be created for young members of the Bar. “Members with party politics would be vehemently discouraged under my jurisdiction,” he added.
Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya highlighted the role of the BASL in promoting justice and maintaining the dignity of the legal profession. “Keep the interest of the profession in the forefront and continue with the legacy of the Bar,” he remarked. Incumbent Secretary Isuru Balapatabendige was re-elected unanimously.