Elanga Wikramanayake

Elanga D Wikramanayake
Nationality Sri Lankan
Occupation Attorney at Law
Known for Solicitor General
Title Deshamanya

Deshamanya Elanga Devapriya Wikramanayake (known to many as E.D. Wikramanayake) was a Sri Lankan lawyer who served as the Solicitor General of Sri Lanka.

Early life and Education

His father was E. B. Wikramanayake, QC the Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Prime Minister Sir John Kotelawala and a member of the Senate of Ceylon. His brother Rakhitha Wikramanayake was the Charman Air Lanka. Educated at S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia Sri Lanka. He excelled in rifle shooting winning the Governor-General’s Cup at the age of nineteen.

The Wikramanayake family association with law can be traced back to Crown Proctorship in Galle in 1848.[1] After obtaining a Bachelor of Laws Degree he trained at the Ceylon Law College. Later he would obtained a Masters degree in Law from Stanford University.

Legal career

Elanga joined the Attorneys General Department as a crown counsel in 1958 rising to the post of Solicitor General in 1977. He was the leading crown prosecutor for the Criminal Justice Commission in the 1970s prosecuting the captured and surrendered rebels of the 1971 JVP Insurrection.[2]

He left the Attorneys General Department in 1977 and continued in private practice. He appeared in many cases against incumbent governments at a time when intimidation of the judiciary and legal process was not uncommon and is best known for his appearance on behalf Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Felix Dias Bandaranaike before the Special Presidential Commission and later in opposing policies of her daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga.[3] He also appeared for Industries Minister C. V. Gunaratne in a defamation case against Lalith Athulathmudali. Dayasiri Gunasekera and Mudaliyar pay tribute to his integrity, lack of political bias and impartiality.[4][5] Dayasiri describes him as "a fearless fighter who cared only for the cause he fought for, and he fought it crisp and clean" .[6] SL Gunasekera has classed him as one of the greats in Sri Lankan Law along with his close friend H. L. de Silva.[7]

Honours

He was awarded the title Deshamanya for his services to law.[8] He is known to have declined the honours awarded by a government at the time on a matter of principle [9] and was commended for it by leading lawyers.

Outdoorsmen

Wikramanayake was known to be an outdoors man and for exploits such as rafting down the Kelani Valley. He was a lover of wild life and an enthusiastic angler.[10]

Family

His children are Eric Wikramanayake, Arittha R Wikramanayake, Athula Wikramanayake Mihiri Wikramanayake and Ananga Wikramanayake. His sons Eric Wikramanayake and Athula Wikramanayake are well known conservationists, biologists and experts on wild life,his son Arittha R Wikramanayake and granddaughter Ariesha have authored a book on butterflies of Sri Lanka.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "First Sri Lankan Queen's Counsel in Australia". www.island.lk. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  2. ↑ "The distinguished ED triumphed in legal practice and in life Elanga Devapriya Wikramanayake by HL de Silva". sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  3. ↑ "Tribute to a great lawyer, patriot and gentleman E. D. Wikramanayake by Gomin Dayasiri". sundaytimes.lk. January 18, 2009. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  4. ↑ "Tribute to a great lawyer, patriot and gentleman E. D. Wikramanayake by Gomin Dayasiri". sundaytimes.lk. January 18, 2009. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  5. ↑ "The case of king and the donkey By Mudliyar The Sunday Times 15th February 1998". sundaytimes.lk. 15 February 1998. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  6. ↑ "Tribute to a great lawyer, patriot and gentleman E. D. Wikramanayake by Gomin Dayasiri". sundaytimes.lk. January 18, 2009. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  7. ↑ "H L De Silva PC: The last of the 'Greats'By S.L Gunasekara Sunday April 12, 2009". sundaytimes.lk. April 12, 2009. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  8. ↑ "'Deshamanya' for leading lawyers The Sunday Times 5th April 1998". sundaytimes.lk. 5 April 1998. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  9. ↑ "The case of king and the donkey By Mudliyar The Sunday Times 15th February 1998". sundaytimes.lk. 15 February 1998. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  10. ↑ "The distinguished ED triumphed in legal practice and in life Elanga Devapriya Wikramanayake by HL de Silva". sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  11. ↑ "Together from here to there in search of beauty A new book by a father and daughter duo explores not only the wonder of butterflies but also their journeys of five years.". lankalibrary.com. Retrieved 2011-10-10.


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