M. W. H. de Silva

Manikku Wadumestri Hendrick de Silva, QC (22 September 1886 - 6 March 1960) was a Ceylonese lawyer, judge and statesman. He served in several top legal positions in the island, as the 26th Attorney General of Ceylon, a Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Ceylon and finally the Minister of Justice in the cabinet of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike as a member of the Senate of Ceylon.^[1]

M. W. H. de Silva QC
Minister of Justice
In office 1956–1959
Preceded by	E. B. Wikramanayake
Succeeded by	Valentine S. Jayawickrema
Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Ceylon
In office 1946–1947
Ceylonese representative in India
In office 1947–1948
Preceded by	Tikiri Bandara Panabokke II
Succeeded by	Senate Abolished
26th Attorney General of Ceylon
In office 7 July 1942 – 1946
Preceded by	John William Ronald Illangakoon
Succeeded by	Chellappah Nagalingam
Personal details
Born	(1886-09-22)September 22, 1886
Died	March 6, 1960(1960-03-06) (aged 73)
Alma mater	University of London
Profession	Advocate

Legal career

Having graduated from the University of London, de Silva became an Advocate. Joining the Attorney General's Department, de Silva served as a Crown Counsel and a Senior Crown Counsel, before being appointed Deputy Solicitor General. As Deputy Solicitor General, de Silva led the prosecution of the famous Duff House murder case in 1934.^[2] He served as Solicitor General of Ceylon from 1941 to 1942, in which year he was also appointed King's Counsel. He was appointed Attorney General of Ceylon on 7 July 1942, succeeding John William Ronald Illangakoon, and held the office until 1946. He was succeeded by Chellappah Nagalingam.^[3] He was thereafter called to the bench as an acting Puisne Judge, but retired in 1947 to take up appointment as Representative of the Government of Ceylon in India, serving until Ceylon gained self rule in 1948. In 1949, he chaired the commission of inquiry to investigate allegations of bribery in the Colombo Municipal Council.^[4]

Minister of Justice

He was appointed to the Senate of Ceylon and made Minister of Justice by Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike in 1956. He introduced conciliation boards through the Conciliation Broads Act and attempted to regulate fees charged by proctors and advocates, but was met by stiff resistance from the legal practitioners which included threats of trade union action.^[5] He served until June 1959 when he resigned from the Cabinet, two days after a Cabinet reshuffle in which he retained the seat.^[6]

Family

He was the great uncle of Harsha de Silva.^[7]

References

1. A single party Cabinet is formed
2. "Murder by chloroform at DuffHouse". Sunday Times. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
3. Amerasinghe, A. Ranjit B (1986), The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka : the first 185 years, Sarvodaya Book Pub. Services, ISBN 978-955-599-000-4
4. "Inadequate laws". tisrilanka.org. 18 December 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
5. "When lawyers threatened to 'down tools' 60 years ago: Justice delayed for the legal fraternity". Daily News. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
6. Chiba, M (28 October 2013). Asian Indigenous Law. Routledge. ISBN 9781136142024. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
7. Harsha De Silva (2015). Dr. Harsha De Silva talks about his past. Colombo: YouTube.

Political offices
Preceded by E. B. Wikramanayake	Minister of Justice 1956-1959	Succeeded by Valentine S. Jayawickrema
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Tikiri Bandara Panabokke II	Ceylonese representative in India 1947–1948	Succeeded by Abolished
Legal offices
Preceded by John William Ronald Illangakoon	Attorney General of Ceylon 1942–1946	Succeeded by Chellappah Nagalingam
Preceded by Edward Jayetileke	Solicitor General of Ceylon 1941–1942	Succeeded by J. M. Fonseka