M. W. H. de Silva

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix =

|name = M. W. H. de Silva

|native_name =

|native_name_lang =

|honorific-suffix = QC

|image =

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|order =

|office = Minister of Justice

|term_start = 1956

|term_end = 1959

|predecessor = E. B. Wikramanayake

|successor = Valentine S. Jayawickrema

|order1 =

|office1 = Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Ceylon

|term_start1 = 1946

|term_end1 = 1947

|predecessor1 =

|successor1 =

|order2 =

|office2 = Ceylonese representative in India

|term_start2 = 1947

|term_end2 = 1948

|predecessor2 = Tikiri Bandara Panabokke II

|successor2 = Senate Abolished

|order3 = 26th

|office3 = Attorney General of Ceylon

|term_start3 = 7 July 1942

|term_end3 = 1946

|predecessor3 = John William Ronald Illangakoon

|successor3 = Chellappah Nagalingam

|birth_date = {{birth date|1886|9|22}}

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|death_date = {{Death date and age|1960|3|6|1886|9|22}}

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|alma_mater = University of London

|occupation =

|profession = Advocate

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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.[http://www.sundaytimes.lk/080608/FunDay/heritage.html A single party Cabinet is formed]

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.{{cite news |title=Murder by chloroform at DuffHouse |url=https://www.pressreader.com/sri-lanka/sunday-times-sri-lanka/20140713/282093454849623 |access-date=10 July 2020 |publisher=Sunday Times}} 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.{{Citation | author1=Amerasinghe, A. Ranjit B | title=The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka : the first 185 years | date=1986 | publisher=Sarvodaya Book Pub. Services|isbn=978-955-599-000-4}} 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.{{cite web |title=Inadequate laws |url=https://www.tisrilanka.org/arresting-corruption/ |website=tisrilanka.org |date=18 December 2009 |access-date=1 September 2021}}

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.{{cite web |title=When lawyers threatened to 'down tools' 60 years ago: Justice delayed for the legal fraternity |url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2018/10/12/features/165257/justice-delayed-legal-fraternity |website=Daily News |access-date=10 July 2020}} He served until June 1959 when he resigned from the Cabinet, two days after a Cabinet reshuffle in which he retained the seat.{{cite book |last1=Chiba |first1=M |title=Asian Indigenous Law |date=28 October 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781136142024 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w3YsBgAAQBAJ |access-date=10 July 2020}}

Family

He was the great uncle of Harsha de Silva.{{cite AV media| people=Harsha De Silva|title=Dr. Harsha De Silva talks about his past|medium=|publisher=YouTube|location=Colombo|date=2015|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kkOyr39_kk}}