Pawan made the declaration as the 44th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka at a welcome ceremony to honour him at the Supreme Court Complex.

He said the independence of the judiciary was of paramount importance for a country to sustain the rule of law where each and every citizen will be equal before the law.
Pawan added that the justice system should uphold the values of righteousness and win the trust and confidence of the people.
He called on all lawyers and attorneys to safeguard the independence of the judiciary as it was their responsibility to do so.

Lawyer ASM Perera said they had full confidence in the new Chief Justice.

“Over the past 18 to 20 years those who were appointed to the highest positions in the judiciary conducted themselves in a way detrimental to the justice system which lost the trust of the people. But today we can be happy and hopeful that the country will now be able to sustain an independent judicial system”, said Perera.

The ceremony was graced by the head of the Sri Lanka Lawyers Association and a large number of legal professionals.

(BBC Sandeshya)