Silva,da Silva,and de Silva are surnames of Portuguese or Galician origin which are widespread in the Portuguese-speaking countries including Brazil. The name is derived from Latin silva. It is the family name of the House of Silva.
Sarath Nanda Silva PC served as the 41st Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.
Jaffna Hindu College is a national school in Jaffna,Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1887 by a group of Hindu people who wanted an English language alternative to the Christian missionary schools.
Deshamanya is the second-highest national honour of Sri Lanka awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a civil honour. It is awarded for "highly meritorious service",and is conventionally used as a title or prefix to the recipient's name.
The chief justice of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head of the judiciary of Sri Lanka and the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. Established in 1801,the chief justice is one of ten Supreme Court justices;the other nine are the puisne justices of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. The post was created in 1801. The chief justice is nominated by the Constitutional Council,and appointed by the president. The first chief justice was Codrington Edmund Carrington. The 47th and current chief justice is Jayantha Jayasuriya.
Peter Mohan Maithree Peiris,PC is a Sri Lankan lawyer and diplomat. He served as the Attorney General of Sri Lanka from 2008 to 2011 and was the de facto Chief Justice of Sri Lanka from 2013 to 2015 when President Maithripala Sirisena declared his appointment void ab initio in 2015. He has been serving as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations since January 2021 and was elected Vice President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in June 2023.
Lakshman Namal Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician. He is the eldest son of former President and former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and a member of parliament. He was the Minister of Youth and Sports from 2020 to 2022.
General Shavendra Silva,is a Sri Lanka Army four star general who is the current Chief of Defence Staff,the head of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces serving from 1 January 2020. He also served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army from 19 August 2019 to 31 May 2022. His other important appointments include,Chief of Staff of the army,Adjutant General and Director of Operations of the Army. During the Sri Lankan civil war he gained fame as the General Officer Commanding of the elite 58 Division. He had also served as the Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Headquarters.
Deshabandu Pinnaduwage Aravinda de Silva is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and captain,Regarded as one of the best Sri Lankan cricketers,he played in the team as an all-rounder. De Silva was a key member of the Sri Lankan team that won 1996 Cricket World Cup,where he scored a match winning century in the final,that brought Sri Lanka from underdog status to present-day form. He has held various posts in Sri Lankan Cricket after his retirement in 2003. He was inducted into ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2023.
Arumadura Lawrence Romelo Duminda Silva,popularly as Duminda Silva or R. Dumindha Silva,is a Sri Lankan politician and a former Member of Parliament. He is the brother of Raynor Silva,owner of the Asia Broadcasting Corporation. On 8 September 2016 he was sentenced to death by the High Court of Sri Lanka for the murder of Sri Lankan politician Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra,a political rival.
Upatissa Atapattu Bandaranayake Wasala Mudiyanse Ralahamilage Shirani Anshumala Bandaranayake,known as Shirani Bandaranayake,served as the 43rd Chief Justice of Sri Lanka. Although a qualified lawyer,she has never practiced law. After university Bandaranayake entered academia,holding a number of senior positions at the University of Colombo,including associate professor of law and the dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Colombo. She was first appointed to the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 1996,becoming Sri Lanka's first female Supreme Court Judge. Bandaranayake was appointed chief justice in May 2011 following the mandatory retirement of Asoka de Silva. Bandaranayake was controversially impeached by Parliament and then removed from office by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in January 2013. and on 28 January 2015 the government of Sri Lanka,had removed all obstacles for Bandaranayake to hold her position as the 43rd Chief Justice by the President Maithripala Sirisena,on the ground that her 2013 impeachment was unlawful and as such the appointment of Mohan Peiris,her successor,was void Ab initio. This paved the way for Bandaranayake to resume duties on 28 January 2015. She retired from the position on 29 January 2015,one day after her reappointment,claiming support for a free and fair Judiciary in Sri Lanka.
Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra also known as "Lucky Aiya",was a Sri Lankan politician,a former member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka,and Adviser to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He was killed along with his bodyguards during a shootout within the same party rival group allegedly headed by MP Duminda Silva.
Herbert Dharmarajah Thambiah was a Sri Lankan lawyer and judge. He was a Court of Appeal judge,Supreme Court judge and the 39th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka.
Joseph Asoka Nihal De Silva was the 42nd Chief Justice of Sri Lanka.
Shirani Bandaranayake,the 43rd Chief Justice of Sri Lanka,was impeached by Parliament and then removed from office by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in January 2013. Bandaranayake was accused of a number of charges including financial impropriety and interfering in legal cases,all of which she has denied. The impeachment followed a series of rulings against the government by the Supreme Court,including one against a bill proposed by Minister Basil Rajapaksa,President Rajapaksa's brother. Bandaranayake was replaced as chief justice by former Attorney General Mohan Peiris. Peiris is considered to be an ally of President Rajapaksa and his appointment is seen by critics as further consolidation of power by the president and his family. Bandaranayake refused to recognise the impeachment and lawyers groups refused to work with the new chief justice. Bandaranayake's controversial impeachment drew much criticism and concern from within and outside of Sri Lanka. On 28 January 2015 she was reinstated and retired on 29 January,the next day.
Canagasabapathy Visuvalingam Vigneswaran,PC is a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer,judge,politician and Member of Parliament. After practising law for more than 15 years,Vigneswaran was a member of the judiciary for 25 years. He was a magistrate and a judge of the District Court,High Court,Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. He was Chief Minister of the Northern Province from October 2013 to October 2018. He was elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in August 2020. Vigneswaran is leader of the Tamil People's Alliance and the Tamil People's National Alliance.
Justice Krishnapillai Palakidnar was a leading Sri Lankan lawyer,judge and President of the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka.
Victor Tennekoon QC was a Sri Lankan lawyer and jurist. He served as the 35th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka,as well as the 33rd Attorney General and 23rd Solicitor General. From 1979 to 1984 Tennekoon served as Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya.
Gardiye Punchihewage Amaraseela Silva was the 34th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka. He was appointed in 1973 succeeding Hugh Norman Gregory Fernando and was Chief Justice until 1974. He was succeeded by Victor Tennekoon.
Hugh Norman Gregory Fernando,OBE was Sri Lanka lawyer and judge. He was the 33rd Chief Justice of Ceylon and had served as Legal Draftsman of Ceylon.
