Upawansa Yapa


Upawansa Yapa PC was the 37th Solicitor General of Sri Lanka.

Early childhood

Upawansa Yapa was born on 2 November 1941 in Bandarawela, Sri Lanka.
Yapa received his education at Nalanda College Colombo and while at school, he led both Sinhala and English debating teams. He subsequently attended the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya in 1960, where he obtained Bachelor of Arts degree.

Career

In 1965 Yapa joined the Ceylon Law College and was admitted as an advocate of Your Lordship's Court in February, 1969. He joined the Attorney General's Department as a Crown Counsel in 1970 and served in the Department's Criminal Division. Later he rose to the position of Senior State Counsel, Deputy Solicitor General, Additional Solicitor General and finally as the Solicitor General.
He was appointed President's Counsel in September 1992. Yapa has appeared for the State in several important Criminal trials, including Sepala Ekanayake aircraft hijacking case.