BASL’s top award for courageous service goes to Upul Jayasuriya View(s):The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) will confer the distinguished title of Honoris Causa on Upul Jayasuriya, PC, in recognition of his “exceptional and courageous service” to the association and to the country’s legal system during some of its most turbulent years. The proposal, put forward by the incumbent president of the BASL, Rajeev Amarasuriya, received unanimous approval. Yet, he remained publicly steadfast, insisting that the legal profession could not remain silent when the judiciary’s independence was at stake. The eventual restoration of Chief Justice Bandaranayake marked a defining moment in Sri Lanka’s constitutional trajectory. The case, closely watched both locally and internationally, reinforced his long-held position that public office must remain answerable to the law.

Source: Sunday Times March 01, 2026 02:35 UTC