Asoka de Silva (judge)

Asoka De Silva
42nd Chief Justice of Sri Lanka
In office
8 June 2009 – 17 May 2011
Appointed byMahinda Rajapaksa
Preceded bySarath N. Silva
Succeeded byShirani Bandaranayake
President of the Court of Appeal
In office
1995 (Justice), 1999 – 2001
Senior Deputy Solicitor General
In office
1974–1995
Personal details
Born (1946-05-17) 17 May 1946 (age 78)
Alma materUniversity of Peradeniya
University of Colombo
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

Joseph Asoka Nihal De Silva (born 17 May 1946) was the 42nd Chief Justice of Sri Lanka.[1][2]

Silva obtained his primary education from St. Anthony's College, Kandy. After graduating from University of Peradeniya in 1971 he joined as an advocate of the Supreme Court in December 1972. He joined the Attorney General's Department on 2 April 1974. He became a Senior Deputy Solicitor General on 1987 and after serving 22 years in the Attorney General's Department he was appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal on 12 October 1995. Chief Justice Asoka De Silva became the President of the Court of Appeal in February 2001 and later elevated to the Supreme Court on 1 August 2001.

On 31 July 2013 he was appointed a member of the Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board in Kenya, a body established under Kenya's new Constitution to rid the Judiciary of unsuitable judicial officers.[3]

Asoka De Silva has obtained a master's degree in administrative law in 1983/84 from the University of Colombo and has done a postgraduate diploma in criminology at the University of Illinois in the United States.

  1. ^ "Justice Asoka de Silva takes oath as new Chief Justice – News Photo". Lankanewspapers.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  2. ^ "Overview". Judicial Service Commission Secretariat. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  3. ^ "Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board :: Restructuring of the Board". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-31.