State Counsel (Sri Lanka)

A State Counsel is a public prosecutor taking the role and office of the Attorney General de facto in the legal system of Sri Lanka.[1]

State Counsels represent the state in criminal and civil proceedings and aide the President, Parliament and Supreme Court in the upholding of the rule of law. State Counsel's exercise the office of the Attorney General in the relevant District and or Specific Jurisdiction. A State Counsel is considered the Attorney General of a particular jurisdiction, much like a District Attorney in the United States. State Counsels are not elected, and are instead public servants Gazetted as Law Officers of the Attorney General's Department. To become a State Counsel, one must be a qualified Attorney at law recognized and recommended for service by a panel of senior state officials and affirmed and appointed at the discretion of the Attorney General. Senior State Counsels are members with several years of experience in public prosecution. The Attorney General and his/her deputy the Solicitor General are former State Counsels.[2][3][1]

Prior to 1972 the post was known as Crown Counsel and was changed when Ceylon became a republic. Crown Proctors became State Attorneys, serving as instructing attorneys for civil and criminal cases of the department.

There are similarities between the role of the State Counsel and the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland, Crown Prosecutor in England and Wales, Crown Attorneys in Canada and District Attorneys in the United States.