Prominent lawyer Asoka Samararatna no more

Mr. Asoka Samararatna, principal partner of Samararatna Associates, Attorneys-at-Law and Notaries Public, and prominent figure in public interest litigation, passed away yesterday morning upon admission to hospital. He was 70.

Educated at Royal College, and graduating from Law College, with an LLB from the University of Colombo, Mr. Samararatna commenced his practice at D.N. Thurairajah & Company and later formed his own law firm in 1985 under his name together with Mr. Sunil Fernando, and the late Mr. Joe Rajakaruna.

The firm soon had a large clientele and specialised in litigation and commercial law forming a subsidiary, viz. Company Secretaries (Pvt.) Ltd.

Separately, Mr. Samararatna was at times the personal lawyer for prominent political leaders, including President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and his firm appeared as instructing attorneys for the United National Party, and several other political parties, in many high profile cases over the past three decades.

Samararatna Associates were also the lawyers for The Editors Guild of Sri Lanka and engaged in their many legal battles with the then governments, especially in criminal defamation and censorship actions, instances of harassment and intimidation of journalists and attacks on presses.

The Editors’ Guild, in a statement issued yesterday, said; “Mr. Asoka Samararatna was a steadfast friend of a free media and was there for us in our many challenges with oppressive regimes of the past. He and his firm always appeared gratis and ungrudgingly for us when we needed him most, rallying senior counsel to appear for us. We could always count on his support. He never let us down.”

Mr. Samararatna’s remains will be at The Restpect parlour of Jayaratne Undertakers, Borella, from today, for the public to pay their last respects. The funeral is on Saturday, January 14.