Sarath Fonseka was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal by President Maithripala Sirisena at a special function on Sunday (22). He became the first Field Marshal in the Sri Lankan military history.

Field Marshal Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka was born on December 18, 1950. He joined the Ceylon Army on February 5, 1970 as a cadet officer. After completing his officer training at the Army Training Centre was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, Ceylon Sinha Regiment on June 1, 1971.

He went on to hold several commands and staff appointments before he was appointed Commander of the Army in 2005. On 25 April 2006, Lt. General Fonseka survived an LTTE suicide bomb attack which seriously injured him. He was rushed first to the military hospital at Army Headquarters, transferred to the Colombo General Hospital and later flown to Singapore for medical treatment. After recovering from his injuries, he resumed his duties in July 2006. He played a crucial part in the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as Army Commander.

Fonseka was appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) by President Rajapaksa effective July 15, 2009. He was the first person appointed CDS under the newly approved Chief of Defence Staff Act, which was supposed to give the CDS more responsibilities in co-ordinating the armed forces.

Fonseka officially handed over his letter of resignation to the President through the Defence secretary on November 12, 2009. He announced later in the month that he will enter politics and contest the forthcoming presidential election. He was defeated at the Presidential Election held on January 26, 2010.

He was arrested at his office in Colombo on February 8, 2010, by Military Police. The military announced he will be court-martialed for "committing military offences" during his time as Chief of Defense Staff. He was sentenced to 30 months after the court martial. In August 2010, by proclamation from President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces he was cashiered from the army having been stripped of his rank, medals and decorations. His military pension was forfeited.

Sarath Fonseka, Leader of Democratic National Alliance, obtained over 98,000 preferential votes in April 2010 General Election from Colombo District. He was a Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament, until he was sentenced to serve a two and half-year prison sentence which made him unable to continue his membership in the chamber according to the Sri Lankan Constitution.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa signed the order documents for the release of Fonseka during May 2012. He later launched the Democratic Party and became its founding leader.

Fonseka extended his support to Maithripala Sirisena in the Sri Lankan presidential election, 2015. After Sirisena’s victory, he was given the Complete Presidential Pardon and acquitted of all charges on the January 22, 2015, restoring his civic rights. On March 19, the PResident's Media Unit announced that he will be promoted Field Marshal with effect from March 22.