Justice Ramanathan, true friend of Sri Lanka

Sarath Malalasekera

COLOMBO: The Late Justice Ramanathan had rare qualities of a human being. He always stood for the downtrodden people. He was a fully contended personality. He was a true friend of Sri Lanka, said Export Development and International Trade Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris at the six-month remembrance of Deshamanya Justice P. Ramanathan held at the Galle Face hotel recently.

Justice Ramanathan came up a hard way. He never wanted to take short cuts to come up in his life. He had served as a judicial officer in Kegalle, Anuradhapura, Matale and later as a Judge of the Court of Appeal.

He belonged to a distinguished Hindu family. After the preliminary education at St. Joseph’s College, he was sent to a leading public school in India - Montfort Boys High School. There he excelled in sports and was the cricket captain of the school. His leadership and oratorical skills resulted in his being elected Prime Minister of the school Parliament, he said.

From India he proceeded to Britain for his University education. He graduated from St. David’s College, Lampeter of the University of Wales and then came to London to read for the Barrister’s Exam.

Minister Peiris said that the late Justice Ramanathan came from one of Sri Lanka’s most distinguished families. He was the great grandson of Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan who was the first elected member of the Legislative Council. Rama’s great granduncle was Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam the founder of the Ceylon National Congress.

Considering Justice Ramanathan’s invaluable service to the country, he was confined Deshamanya and more recently Chairman of the Human Rights Commission, a post for which he was eminently suitable, given his commitment to Human Rights and his great concern for the poor and under privileged.

Prof. Peiris said that in life as well as in death, the late Justice Ramanathan wanted to retain his simplicity. His instructions during an illness which he had in 2004 was “A.F. Raymond’s Funeral Parlour and first berth at the crematorium.”

Yajna Sathasivam Thyagarajah, Ranjan Gooneratne and Faisza Muthapha Marker also addressed the gathering.

Mano Ramanathan, widow of the late Justice Ramanathan delivered the vote of thanks.