Mahinda Samayawardhena is a Sri Lankan lawyer serving since 1 December 2020 as a puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. He was appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Career Samayawardhena joined the judiciary in 1988 and served as a judge in Sri Lanka's Primary Court, Magistrate's Court, District Court and High Court. As a judge of the High Court, he served across all three branches: criminal, commercial and civil appellate.
He was appointed as a judge of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka by President Maithripala Sirisena on 23 April 2018 and served till 1 December 2020.
On 1 December 2020, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a puisne justice.
Commission assignments In July 2025, Samayawardhena was appointed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake as a member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), filling the vacancy created by the retirement of former puisne justice Gamini Amarasekera.
He is also the current director of the Sri Lanka Judges' Institute.
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