Feb 22, Colombo: The newly elected President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), senior Attorney Upul Jayasuriya pledged to safeguard the integrity of the profession and stand for the independence of the judiciary.

Following his election to office, Jayasuriya said that he had been given a mandate by the legal fraternity to carry out his pledges.

He noted that he would stand for the integrity of the profession, independence of the judiciary, protection of the rule of law and maintaining the dignity of the profession.

"I will stand by my principles and not compromise on them," Jayasuriya has said.

Jayasuriya was elected as the President of Bar Association of Sri Lanka with a majority of over 1,700 votes.