Murugeysen Tiruchelvam
Encyclopedia
Murugeysen Tiruchelvam was a Sri Lankan Tamil politician, Member of the Senate
, government minister and a leading lawyer.
. When he was three-months old he and his mother went to British Malaya
where his father Visvanathan Murugeysu, who hailed from Vaddukoddai
, was Head of the Telegraph Office, an officer in the British colonial administration, in Kuala Lumpur
. The Tiruchelvam family were friends of the Chelvanayakam family who were also living in Malaya. Tiruchelvam had three brothers and a sister. Tiruchelvam and his brother Rajendra were sent to British Ceylon
to have their education at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. S. J. V. Chelvanayakam
was the brothers' guardian. Tiruchelvam later studied at Ceylon University College, obtaining an honours degree in History.
Tiruchelvam married Punithavathy (Punitham) Canagaratnam. They had four children: Neelan Tiruchelvam, Rajendra, Janaki.
in Negombo
, Panadura
and Galle
till 1945. He was appointed Assistant to the Legal Secretary to the then Legal Secretary Sir Alan Rose. He assisted Sir Alan in drafting the Soulbury Constitution. Tiruchelvam was appointed Deputy Solicitor-General in 1944. He was appointed Solicitor General of Ceylon in 1957, a position he held until 1960.
Tiruchelvam took part in a number of high profile legal cases. He was one of the defence lawyers in the 1976 Trial-At-Bar of Appapillai Amirthalingam
, K. P. Ratnam
, Murugesu Sivasithamparam
and Kathiripillai Thurairatnam
, four leading TULF
politicians who were charged with sedition for defying the First Republican Constitution. 72 Tamil lawyers took part in the defence, including S. J. V. Chelvanayakam and G. G. Ponnambalam
, two leading lawyer-politicians. All the defendants were acquitted.
Tiruchelvam also defended Junius Richard Jayewardene
when he was threatened with expulsion from the United National Party
.
(Federal Party). Tiruchelvam and other ITAK leaders were jailed in 1961 for staging a mass satyagraha
against the Sinhala Only Act
. They spent over six months in Panagoda
jail.
In 1965, after the signing of the Senanayake-Chelvanayakam Pact (aka Dudley-Chelvanayakam Pact), ITAK joined the United National Party-led national government. ITAK's MP refused take ministerial portfolios but instead Tiruchelvam was appointed to the Senate of Ceylon
and made Minister of Local Government. During Tiruchelvam's ministerial tenure the eventual creation of the University of Jaffna
was started, the Tamil Language Special Provisions Act (aka Reasonable Use of Tamil Act) became law in 1966 and administrative reforms carried out.
Tiruchelvam resigned from the government in November 1968 when Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake
overturned his decision to make Fort Fredrick in Trincomalee
a sacred precinct (the fort contained the Koneswaram temple
). ITAK then left the national government, blaming the government's failure to implement the Senanayake-Chelvanayakam Pact. Tiruchelvam stayed on in the Senate until it was abolished in 1971.
Senate of Ceylon
The Senate of Ceylon was the upper chamber of the parliament of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Commission. The Senate was appointed/indirectly elected rather than directly elected. The Senate was housed in the old Legislative Council building in Colombo Fort and met for the first time...
, government minister and a leading lawyer.
Early life
Tiruchelvam was born on 19 November 1907in JaffnaJaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
. When he was three-months old he and his mother went to British Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
where his father Visvanathan Murugeysu, who hailed from Vaddukoddai
Vaddukoddai
Vaddukoddai is small but important town in the minority Sri Lankan Tamil dominated Jaffna peninsula of Sri Lanka...
, was Head of the Telegraph Office, an officer in the British colonial administration, in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. The Tiruchelvam family were friends of the Chelvanayakam family who were also living in Malaya. Tiruchelvam had three brothers and a sister. Tiruchelvam and his brother Rajendra were sent to British Ceylon
British Ceylon
British Ceylon refers to British rule prior to 1948 of the island territory now known as Sri Lanka.-From the Dutch to the British:Before the beginning of the Dutch governance, the island of Ceylon was divided between the Portuguese Empire and the Kingdom of Kandy, who were in the midst of a war for...
to have their education at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. S. J. V. Chelvanayakam
S. J. V. Chelvanayakam
Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam was a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, politician and Member of Parliament. He was the political leader and father figure of the Sri Lankan Tamil community for more than two decades...
was the brothers' guardian. Tiruchelvam later studied at Ceylon University College, obtaining an honours degree in History.
Tiruchelvam married Punithavathy (Punitham) Canagaratnam. They had four children: Neelan Tiruchelvam, Rajendra, Janaki.
Legal career
After graduating Tiruchelvam studied law and became a lawyer in 1935 when he started practicing law. He served as the magistrateMagistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
in Negombo
Negombo
Negombo is a town of about 121,933, approximately 37 km north of Colombo, in Sri Lanka. It is located at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, about 7 km from the Bandaranaike International Airport...
, Panadura
Panadura
- History :The historic debate 'Panadura Vadaya' was held in this place which is a milestone of the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka with the initiative of the ven. Migettuwaththe Gunananda Thera.- People and Culture :Panadura is home to about 100,000 citizens...
and Galle
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....
till 1945. He was appointed Assistant to the Legal Secretary to the then Legal Secretary Sir Alan Rose. He assisted Sir Alan in drafting the Soulbury Constitution. Tiruchelvam was appointed Deputy Solicitor-General in 1944. He was appointed Solicitor General of Ceylon in 1957, a position he held until 1960.
Tiruchelvam took part in a number of high profile legal cases. He was one of the defence lawyers in the 1976 Trial-At-Bar of Appapillai Amirthalingam
Appapillai Amirthalingam
Appapillai Amirthalingam was a leading Sri Lankan Tamil politician, Member of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition. Amirthalingam was assassinated by the Tamil Tigers. -Early life:...
, K. P. Ratnam
K. P. Ratnam
Kaarthigesar Ponnambalam Ratnam was a Sri Lankan Tamil politician and Member of Parliament.-Early life:Ratnam was born on 10 March 1914 in Velanai on the island of Kayts in northern British Ceylon. He excelled in Tamil language and Tamil literature at school. He became a pundit in 1933 and vidvan...
, Murugesu Sivasithamparam
Murugesu Sivasithamparam
Murugesu Sivasithamparam was a leading Sri Lankan Tamil politician, Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker.-Early life:Sivasithamparam was born 20 July 1923 in Karaveddy in northern British Ceylon. He was educated at Vigneswara College, Karaveddy and St. Joseph's College, Colombo. He later studied...
and Kathiripillai Thurairatnam
Kathiripillai Thurairatnam
Kathiripillai Thurairatnam was a Sri Lankan Tamil politician and Member of Parliament.-Early life:Thurairatnam was born on 10 August 1930. He was educated at Jaffna College, Vaddukoddai. He joined the clerical service at the age of 17 but left soon after to enter the University of Ceylon. After...
, four leading TULF
Tamil United Liberation Front
The Tamil United Liberation Front is a political party in Sri Lanka which seeks independence for the Tamil-populated areas of Sri Lanka.-Formation:...
politicians who were charged with sedition for defying the First Republican Constitution. 72 Tamil lawyers took part in the defence, including S. J. V. Chelvanayakam and G. G. Ponnambalam
G. G. Ponnambalam
Ganapathipillai Gangaser Ponnambalam , known as G.G. Ponnambalam, was a Sri Lankan Tamil politician in British Ceylon, and then after independence, in Ceylon. He founded the first Sri Lankan Tamil political party, the All Ceylon Tamil Congress. Ponnambalam stood for the principle of minority...
, two leading lawyer-politicians. All the defendants were acquitted.
Tiruchelvam also defended Junius Richard Jayewardene
Junius Richard Jayewardene
Junius Richard Jayewardene , famously abbreviated in Sri Lanka as JR, was the first executive President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 till 1989. He was a leader of the nationalist movement in Ceylon who served in a variety of cabinet positions in the decades following independence...
when he was threatened with expulsion from the United National Party
United National Party
The United National Party, often referred to as the UNP ), , is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main opposition party in Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe...
.
Political career
Tiruchelvam became involved in politics in the 1960s, becoming chief advisor and principal political strategist to S. J. V. Chelvanayakam, founder/leader of Illankai Tamil Arasu KachchiIllankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi is a Sri Lankan political party which represents the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority in the country. It was originally formed in 1949 as breakaway faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress...
(Federal Party). Tiruchelvam and other ITAK leaders were jailed in 1961 for staging a mass satyagraha
Satyagraha
Satyagraha , loosely translated as "insistence on truth satya agraha soul force" or "truth force" is a particular philosophy and practice within the broader overall category generally known as nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. The term "satyagraha" was conceived and developed by Mahatma...
against the Sinhala Only Act
Sinhala Only Act
The Sinhala Only Act was a law passed in the Ceylonese parliament in 1956...
. They spent over six months in Panagoda
Panagoda
Panagoda is a town in Western Province, Sri Lanka of Sri Lanka. Its 20 km away from Colombo. Situated there is the Panagoda Cantonment, the largest military base in the country....
jail.
In 1965, after the signing of the Senanayake-Chelvanayakam Pact (aka Dudley-Chelvanayakam Pact), ITAK joined the United National Party-led national government. ITAK's MP refused take ministerial portfolios but instead Tiruchelvam was appointed to the Senate of Ceylon
Senate of Ceylon
The Senate of Ceylon was the upper chamber of the parliament of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Commission. The Senate was appointed/indirectly elected rather than directly elected. The Senate was housed in the old Legislative Council building in Colombo Fort and met for the first time...
and made Minister of Local Government. During Tiruchelvam's ministerial tenure the eventual creation of the University of Jaffna
University of Jaffna
Jaffna University is a public university in the city of Jaffna, Sri Lanka.- Overview :Jaffna University has four campuses; Thirunelveli, Marathanamadam, Kaithady and Vavuniya...
was started, the Tamil Language Special Provisions Act (aka Reasonable Use of Tamil Act) became law in 1966 and administrative reforms carried out.
Tiruchelvam resigned from the government in November 1968 when Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake
Dudley Senanayake
Dudley Shelton Senanayake was a Ceylonese politician, who became the second Prime Minister of Ceylon and went on to become prime minister on 2 more times during the 1950s and 1960s.-Early life:Dudley was born on 19 June, 1911 as the eldest son to Molly Dunuwila and Don Stephen Senanayake, who...
overturned his decision to make Fort Fredrick in Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
a sacred precinct (the fort contained the Koneswaram temple
Koneswaram temple
Koneswaram temple of Trincomalee is an Hindu temple in Trincomalee, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka venerated by Saivites throughout the continent...
). ITAK then left the national government, blaming the government's failure to implement the Senanayake-Chelvanayakam Pact. Tiruchelvam stayed on in the Senate until it was abolished in 1971.