← 2016 2015 2014 2017 in Sri Lanka → 2018 2019 2020
Decades:	1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2017 Timeline of Sri Lankan history

The following lists notable events that occurred and which took place during 2017 in Sri Lanka.

Incumbents

• President – Maithripala Sirisena
• Prime Minister – Ranil Wickremesinghe
• Chief Justice – K. Sripavan

Governors

• Central Province – Niluka Ekanayake
• Eastern Province – Austin Fernando (until 1 July); Rohitha Bogollagama (starting 4 July)
• North Central Province – P. B. Dissanayake
• Northern Province – Reginald Cooray
• North Western Province – Amara Piyaseeli Ratnayake
• Sabaragamuwa Province – Marshal Perera
• Southern Province – Hemakumara Nanayakkara
• Uva Province – M. P. Jayasinghe
• Western Province – K. C. Logeswaran

Chief Ministers

• Central Province – Sarath Ekanayake
• Eastern Province – Ahamed Nazeer Zainulabdeen (until 30 September); vacant thereafter (starting 30 September)
• North Central Province – Peshala Jayarathne (until 1 October); vacant (starting 1 October)
• Northern Province – C. V. Vigneswaran
• North Western Province – Dharmasiri Dassanayake
• Sabaragamuwa Province – Maheepala Herath (until 26 September); vacant (starting 26 September)
• Southern Province – Shan Wijayalal De Silva
• Uva Province – Chamara Sampath Dassanayake
• Western Province – Isura Devapriya

Holidays

Below is a list of bank holidays, public holidays and full moon Poya Days in Sri Lanka for the year 2017.^[1]

• 12 January – Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day
• 14 January – Tamil Thai Pongal Day
• 4 February – National Day
• 10 February – Navam Full Moon Poya Day
• 24 February – Mahasivarathri Day
• 12 March – Madin Full Moon Poya Day
• 10 April – Bak Full Moon Poya Day
• 13 April – Day prior to Sinhala & Tamil
• 14 April – Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day
• 14 April – Good Friday
• 1 May
  • Labour Day
  • May Day
• 10 May – Vesak Full Moon Poya Day
• 11 May – Day Following Vesak Full Moon
• 8 June – Poson Full Moon Poya Day
• 26 June – Id-Ul-Fitr (Ramazan Festival Day)
• 8 July – Esala Full Moon Poya Day
• 7 August – Nikini Full Moon Poya Day
• 1 September – Id-Ul-Alha (Hadji Festival Day)
• 5 September – Binara Full Moon Poya Day
• 5 October – Vap Full Moon Poya Day
• 18 October – Deepavali Festival Day
• 3 November – Ill Full Moon Poya Day
• 1 December – Milad-Un-Nabi (Holy Prophet's Birthday)
• 3 December – Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day
• 25 December – Christmas Day

Events by month

January

• 2 January
  • Former Deputy Minister Sarath Kumara Gunaratna has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department for alleged misappropriation of funds of the Negombo lagoon development project.^[2]
  • Jaliya Wickramasuriya, who was the Former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States, arrested on charges of misusing state funds.^[3]
• 5 January − Mudiyanselage Suranga Kumara alias ‘Rattaran’, an underworld gang, has been shot and killed by two unknown gunmen. ^[4]
• 7 January − 21 persons including 3 police officers were injured and hospitalized as a result of the clashes which broke out during the protest in Hambantota.^[5] Meanwhile, 52 individuals were arrested on charges of violating court orders and damaging public property.^[6] On next day, 28 more individuals were arrested.^[7][8]
• 10 January
  • Ravi Karunanayake was named as the Finance Minister of the Year for Asia-Pacific by The Banker, a magazine of the British daily Financial Times.^[9]
  • Parliamentaria Wimal Weerawansa was arrested by the Police Financial Crimes Investigations Division who was accused of misusing several vehicles belonging to the presidential secretariat.^[10]
• 11 January − President Maithripala Sirisena inaugurated the filling of water to the Moragahakanda reservoir, the biggest multi-functional irrigation project in Sri Lanka.^[11]
• 13 January − Former Sri Lankan district judge Geethani Wijesinghe Widanelage swore as new Resident Magistrate of Fiji.^[12]
• 18 January − Disaster management officials stated that about 600,000 people have been hit by the drought in nearly 13 of the 25 districts, making it the worst drought since 2006.^[13]
• 31 January − Astrologer Vijitha Rohana Wijemuni was arrested by The Criminal Investigations Department for allegedly misleading the public by making false predictions.^[14]

February

• 5 February − Chamara Sandaruwan alias ‘Kudu Roshan’ was hacked to death by an unidentified group of people in Wanathamulla.^[15]
• 10 February − Sri Lanka opened its first hybrid power plant using wind, solar and diesel located on a small island off the Jaffna, that generate 60 MW of electricity.^[16]
• 14 February − For significant contributions in reforms in economy, education and human rights in Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe conferred an honorary doctorate from Deakin University in Australia.^[17]
• 21 February
  • International cricketer Niroshan Dickwella was suspended for two limited-over matches after his accumulated demerit points reached five within a 24-month period.^[18]
  • Ministry of Crab and Nihonbashi ranked 29th & 49th at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ awards ceremony.^[19]

March

• 1 March
  • 82 heroes of the 1818 Uva-Wellassa Rebellion were declared as patriots at the ceremony named ‘Uththamaabhiwandana’.^[20]
  • Notorious drug trafficker during the late 90’s and early 2000’s, Muniyandi Vappu Balan aka “Thel Bala,” passed away in India.^[21]
• 2 March − Supreme Court Judge Priyasath Dep took oaths as the new Chief Justice as the 45th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka.^[22]
• 11 March
  • Sri Lanka Labour Party leader A. S. P. Liyanage was appointed as the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Qatar.^[23]
  • International cricketer Rangana Herath became the most successful left-arm spinner in test cricket history after reaching 366 wickets surpassing blackcap Daniel Vettori.^[24]
• 22 March − Major General Mahesh Senanayake was appointed as the chief of staff of the Sri Lankan Army.^[25]
• 30 March − Ashoka Priyantha was appointed to fill parliamentarian seat left vacant by Renuka Herath.^[26]

Deaths

Vivienne de Silva Boralessa (b. 1930)

Siri Gunasinghe (b. 1925)

Anil Mihiripenna (b. 1933)

January

• 5 January – Christopher Weeramantry, 90 (Judge of Supreme Court of Sri Lanka [1967 to 1972], 72nd Judge of the International Court of Justice [1991 to 2000])^[27]
• 14 January
  • Deepal Silva, 50 (singer)^[28]
  • M. V. Balan, 75 (actor)^[29]
• 15 January – H. S. Perera, 68 (actor)^[29][30]
• 21 January – Roy Peiris, 54 (singer)^[31]

February

• 1 February – Baptist Fernando, 83 (actor)^[32]
• 10 February
  • Dr. Ariyadasa Pieris, 91 (journalist)^[33]
  • Wimal J. Sagara, 84 (singer)^[34]
• 13 February – S. A. Francis, (singer)^[35]
• 14 February – Boniface Fernando, 83 (actor)^[36]

March

• 10 March – Gamini S. Fernando^[35]
• 13 March – Renuka Herath, 71 (politician)^[37]
• 16 March – Pushpa Janet, (actress)^[38]
• 26 March – Anton Alwis, 73 (scriptwriter)^[39]
• 27 March – Shantha Kadiragonna^[35]

April

• 2 April – Vivienne de Silva Boralessa, 86 (songstress)^[40]
• 3 April – Davuldena Gnanissara Thero, 101 (Buddhist monk).^[41]
• 8 April – Vasantha Obeysekera, 79 (filmmaker).^[42]
• 14 April – Dr. Jagath Wijenayake, 60 (film producer)^[43]
• 15 April – T. Arjuna, 75 (filmmaker)^[44]

May

• 4 May – Satsorupavathy Nathan, 80 (radio personality).^[45]
• 5 May – Prabha Ranatunge, 81 (radio personality)^[46]
• 11 May – Premaranjith Tilakaratne, 80 (dramatist)^[47]
• 23 May – Daniel Muthumala (actor)^[35]
• 25 May – Siri Gunasinghe, 92 (academic)^[48]
• 29 May – Ananda Wedisinghe, 46 (motor cycle champion)^[49]
• 30 May – Sunil Mihindukula, 56 (journalist)^[50]

June

• 8 June – Prince Udaya Priyantha, 46 (singer)^[51]
• 11 June – Anil Mihiripenna, 83 (musician)^[35]
• 23 June – D. B. Kuruppu, (author)^[52]

July

• 11 July – Nihal Samarasinghe, (musician)^[35]
• 14 July – Dr. Thilokasundari Kariyawasam, 88 (educationist)^[53]
• 17 July – Somapala Rathnayake, 69 (musician)^[54]
• 20 July – Thilak Atapattu, (film producer)^[55]
• 26 July – Daya Kahawala, (author)^[56]

August

• 1 August – Dayawansa Karunamuni, (journalist)^[56]
• 16 August – Kumari Manel, 76 (actress)^[57]
• 20 August – Binoy Surendra, 76 (journalist)^[58]
• 24 August – Narawila Patrick, (author)^[35]

September

• 20 September
  • Sumith Bibile, 87 (actor)^[59]
  • Berty Galahitiyawa, 80 (announcer)^[60]
  • Dasun Nishan, 29 (actor)^[61]
• 23 September – Amaradasa Weerasinghe, (film critique)^[62]

October

• 20 October
  • D. A. Balasuriya, (actor)^[35]
  • Senaka Titus Anthony, (actor)^[63]

November

• 1 November – Suvineetha Fernando, (actress)^[35]
• 21 November – Dhammika P. Rathnayake, (announcer)^[64]
• 28 November – Ruwan Weerasekara, 51 (violinist)^[65]
• 30 November – Newton Gunasekara, (writer)^[66]