Supreme Court of Ceylon

Supreme Court of Sri Lanka
ශ්රී ලංකා ශ්රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය இலங்கை உச்ச நீதிமன்றம்
Seal of the Supreme Court
Established	1801
Country	Sri Lanka
Location	Hultsdorf, Colombo
Motto	"Inspire public trust and confidence"
Composition method	Presidential nomination with Parliamentary Council confirmation
Authorized by	Sri Lankan Constitution
Judge term length	Until the age of 65 years
No. of positions	11
Website	www.supremecourt.lk
Chief Justice of Sri Lanka
Currently	Priyasath Dep
Since	2 March 2017

ශ්රී ලංකා ශ්රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka (Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා ශ්රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය Sri Lanka Sreshthadikaranaya)(Tamil: இலங்கை உச்ச நீதிமன்றம் Ilankai ucca nitimanram) is the highest court of Sri Lanka. The Supreme Court is the highest and final judicial instance of record and is empowered to exercise its powers, subject to the provisions of the Constitution. The Court has ultimate appellate jurisdiction in constitutional matters, and take precedence over all lower Courts. The Sri Lanka judicial system is complex blend of both common-law and civil-law. In some cases such as capital punishment, the decision may be passed on to the President of the Republic for clemency petitions.

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka was created on 18 April 1801 with the "Royal Charter of Justice of 1801 of King George the 3rd establishing the Supreme Courts of the Island of Ceylon" by the British, who controlled most of the island at the time, excluding the inland territory of Kandy. This creation was repealed in 1833 and replaced by a new Charter covering the whole of the island. In 1972 the country gained its independence as Sri Lanka and adopted a new Constitution.

The court consists of the Chief Justice and not less than six and not more than ten other Judges, appointed by the Constitutional Council on recommendation of the President.

The President of Sri Lanka is responsible for the appointment and removal of all the judges of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court judges are appointed with the advice and consent of the Constitutional Council (Sri Lanka). From 3 October 2001 until 2011, with the 17th Amendment, the Constitutional Council had the task of advising the President on the appointment of the judges. If the appointment is for a period less than fourteen days, this requirement will not apply. The Justices are not allowed to hold any other office without the consent of the Constitution or the President.