New Acting Attorney General takes oath

Senior Additional Solicitor General Parinda Ranasinghe yesterday took oaths as the Acting Attorney General before the Chief Justice.

The Acting Attorney General was appointed after the proposal to extend incumbent Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam’s term by another six months was defeated last week for the second time at the Constitutional Council meeting.

The proposal, which was submitted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, was defeated with five votes against it while three members voted in favour.

Rajaratnam’s current term is set to expire at the end of this month and the President had proposed an extension for an additional six months. However, the proposal requires the approval of the Constitutional Council, which twice defeated it.