General

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has voiced its worries about recent social media posts that target the Attorney General. In their statement, the Bar Association expressed that these posts aim to wrongly disrupt the independence of the Attorney General's office. They highlighted that the Attorney General has important responsibilities related to criminal cases. The statement clarified that the Attorney General must decide if charges should be filed against a suspect based on information from investigating officers. Additionally, the Attorney General needs to evaluate if the evidence can be legally accepted and if it offers a reasonable chance of convicting the accused. The Bar Association noted that the Attorney General's decisions can be challenged through a writ in the Court of Appeal or through fundamental rights petitions in the Supreme Court. It was also emphasized that judicial and quasi-judicial officials must make choices based on the law, even if these decisions do not always match public opinion.