A. Gnanathasan

Gnanathasan was born in Chavakachcheri in northern Ceylon.^[1][2] He is the son of V. N. Aiyathurai, Deputy Principal of Drieberg College, and P. Aiyathurai, a teacher at Drieberg College.^[1][2] He was educated at the Drieberg College, Hartley College and Jaffna College.^[2] After school he joined the Sri Lanka Law College, qualifying as an attorney-at-law.^[2] At the college he won the "Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan Gold Medal for the Address to the Jury" in 1978 and 1979.^[2]

After being called to bar in 1980, Gnanathasan started practising law in the chambers of President's Counsel A. Mahendrarajah.^[1][2] He worked for the Sivanathan and Associates law firm.^[1][2] Later he joined the Attorney-General's Department as a State Counsel.^[1][2] He served as prosecutor in all of Sri Lanka's High Courts and worked on the famous "Palavi murder" case in Jaffna and "Ampara beauty queen case" in Batticaloa.^[2]

Gnanathasan qualified as solicitor in the United Kingdom on 1 July 1992 and worked for the Rajah and Company law firm.^[1][2] He was admitted as a practitioner (barrister and solicitor) of the Supreme Court of Tasmania on 11 April 1994.^[1][2] He was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales on 2 May 1994.^[1][2]

Back in Sri Lanka, Gnanathasan became Senior State Counsel in 1995, Deputy Solicitor General on 14 July 1999 and Additional Solicitor General 30 April 2008.^[1][2][3]

Gnanathasan was a visiting lecturer in criminal law at the Sri Lanka Law College between 1995 and 2007 and served as chairman of the Board of Examiners (Preliminary) at the college.^[1][2] He completed the Master of Laws degree from the University of the West Indies in 1998 after receiving a Commonwealth Scholarship.^[1][2] He has been a visiting lecturer and examiner at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo since 2003.^[1][2] He was appointed President's Counsel on 9 March 2009.^[1][2]

Gnanathasan joined the Board of Directors of Jaffna College in 2000 and served as its chairman between 2002 and 2006.^[2] He has been vice-chairman of Jaffna College Old Boys’ Association (Colombo Branch) since 2000 and he was vice-president of the Hartley College Past Pupils’ Association between 1999 and 2007.^[2]