Supreme Court judge Justice Murdu Fernando is set to take the oath as Sri Lanka’s new Chief Justice today (02) before President Anura Dissanayake.
This appointment follows the retirement of Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya.
Justice Fernando is the second woman to hold the position of Chief Justice in Sri Lanka’s history, after Shirani Bandaranayake in 2011.
Fernando joined the Attorney General’s Department as a state counsel, where she served for over 30 years having been promoted to senior state counsel, deputy solicitor general, additional solicitor general and senior additional solicitor general.
She was appointed a President’s Counsel while serving as an additional solicitor general.
She was later appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court by then President Maithripala Sirisena in March 2018.