Mrs. Indika Demuni de Silva, President’s Counsel, is the 48th Solicitor General of Sri Lanka.
Having completed her secondary education at Bishop’s College and Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo, she commenced her legal education at Sri Lanka Law College. After passing the final examination with Honours, Mrs. Indika Demuni de Silva was admitted to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court in 1988. She is also an alumna of King’s College, London of the University of London, graduating with a Master of Laws Degree with Merit in International Business Law.
Upon joining the Attorney General’s Department as an Acting State Counsel in 1989, Mrs. Demuni de Silva steadily rose within its ranks as she was appointed to the posts of State Counsel (1991), Senior State Counsel (2000), Deputy Solicitor General (2007), Senior Deputy Solicitor General (2014), Additional Solicitor General (2016) and Senior Additional Solicitor General (2021), until her elevation to the office of Solicitor General on 30 July, 2021. She took silk as a President’s Counsel and was called to the Inner Bar in 2016.
Although Mrs. Demuni de Silva commenced her career at the Attorney General’s Department in the Criminal Division, conducting prosecutions in original courts across the country, it is in the Civil Division that she has served the longest tenure and excelled as a Counsel, especially in Constitutional Law, Public Law and Administrative Law. Consistently assigned high profile and complex cases in these fields, Mrs. Demuni de Silva has abundantly contributed to the development of the law and jurisprudence of Sri Lanka.
Given the wide expertise of Mrs. Demuni de Silva, she has represented the Government of Sri Lanka in numerous international negotiations. Her engagements in relation to the Protocol on Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organization are particularly notable. She was the Chairperson of Drafting Group 2 on Articles 12, 13, 14 and 30-33, and a member of Drafting Group 1 on Articles 5, 6, 7, 10 and 11 of the draft Protocol.
Mrs. Demuni de Silva has been a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship awarded to State Officers by the Government of Sri Lanka, as well as scholarships awarded by a number of local and international agencies through which she has been afforded many opportunities for foreign training and study.
Mrs. Demuni de Silva has served as a member of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (2007-2010), the Committee appointed by the Hon. Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for preparatory work on drafting a new Constitution (2015/2016) and various committees appointed by the Minister of Justice with regard to the administration of justice, and also as the representative of the Attorney General in the Official’s Committee to assist the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Legislation. In addition, she has served as a Visiting Lecturer and Examiner in the subjects of Commercial Law and Carriage of Goods by Sea.