The autobiography of Upul Jayasuriya, President’s Counsel, former President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) and former Chairman of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI), titled “I Was There”, was ceremonially launched on Tuesday, December 2, at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo, in the presence of a distinguished gathering of former Presidents, senior appellate court judges, eminent lawyers, academics, and public figures.
The book traces Mr. Jayasuriya’s early life, legal education, and entry into public service soon after graduating from Law College, including his formative stint at the Attorney General’s Department. It also chronicles his remarkable rise at a young age as Chairman of the State Trading (Tractor) Corporation under then Trade Minister Lalith Athulathmudali, a role he assumed while still in his twenties.
‘I Was There’ further recounts Mr. Jayasuriya’s professional journey through public institutions and the private sector, including his time as Counsel at the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), the precursor to the BOI under Upali Wijewardene, and his subsequent career as a legal practitioner and company director.
A significant portion of the autobiography is devoted to Mr. Jayasuriya’s tenure as President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, a period marked by intense confrontation between the unofficial Bar and the government of the day on issues of human rights, constitutional governance, and the rule of law. The book provides a first-hand account of the BASL’s historic and relentless campaign opposing the impeachment and ouster of then Chief Justice Shiranee Bandaranayake.
The sustained efforts of the BASL under Mr. Jayasuriya’s leadership ultimately resulted in the restoration of Chief Justice Bandaranayake to office under a subsequent administration, an episode widely regarded as a landmark victory for judicial independence in Sri Lanka.
In recognition of this exemplary defence of constitutional values and the rule of law, Upul Jayasuriya PC was conferred the prestigious “Rule of Law Award” by the Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association (CLA) at the Commonwealth Law Conference in Glasgow in 2015.
The book launch ceremony featured moving moments, including the presentation of the first copy of the autobiography to Mr. Jayasuriya’s former teacher from Royal Primary School, symbolising the personal journey behind a public life devoted to law, institutions, and democratic values.
I Was There stands as both a personal memoir and an important historical account of Sri Lanka’s legal and constitutional struggles in recent decades, offering insights into leadership at the Bar, the resilience of institutions, and the enduring importance of the independence of the judiciary.