Sixty years at the Bar

Sarath Malalasekera

Senior Attorney Vernon Botejue completed sixty years of active practice as an Attorney-at-Law on December 1, 2009 reaching the “Diamond Jubilee” of his legal career but the event passed without celebration or fanfare. On the occasion of his “Golden Jubilee” that fell on December 1, 1999 he was the recipient of a Commemorative plaque presented by Chief Justice Asoka de Silva on behalf of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka that was celebrating its own Silver Jubilee that year and had decided to felicitate Attorneys-at-Law whose Golden Jubilee also fell during the same year.

Senior Attorney - Vernon Botejue

On November 21, 2003, then Chief Justice President’s Counsel Sarath N Silva on the invitation of the Bar Association of Mount Lavinia unveiled a photograph of Vernon Botejue in the Lawyers Chambers of the Mount Lavinia Courts complex, at a felicitation meeting held in his honour, where Vernon Botejue had and unbroken record of service for over fifty three years at that point of time.

Addressing the distinguished gathering at the unveiling ceremony Chief Justice Sarath N Silva paid a glowing tribute to Vernon Botejue.

He said that he elected to address the meeting in Sinhala on that occasion as Vernon Botejue was among the pioneers with late SWRD Bandaranaike and Philip Gunawardena who strove to make Sinhala the official language of the Courts. Incidentally it is noteworthy that Vernon Botejue as a student of S Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia in 1943 was the proposer of a resolution in the Senior Literary and Debating Society of the College that “Sinhala shall be the Official Language of Ceylon” that won the day as published in the College Magazine.

Chief Justice Sarath N Silva added that Vernon Botejue was an Attorney- at-law with an unblemished record of service for over fifty years, that he was a complete human being the highest degree of honesty and integrity and possessed of a charismatic personality. Although he may be described as an institution of Mount Lavinia he has appeared almost in every court in the country including the Supreme Court.

In a biographical sketch written and published by veteran Journalist Ajith Samaranayake in the “Sunday Observer” of November 28, 1999 on the eve of Vernon’s “Golden Jubilee” it is noted “In the 1950s Botejue was both a successful suburban politician and a trade unionist.

As the President of the Party’s “All Ceylon Motor Worker’s Union” a powerful trade union of the bus workers who were often in the eye of the storm during the days immediately preceding and following the nationalisation of buses. In fact Botejue remembers a strike at Dehiwela he led in the course of which he had warned the Government in public about certain saboteurs in the upper echelons of the Police Force.

Botejue realized the danger which these words produced only much later when during the Trial at Bar over the 1962 coup it was revealed that he along with some others, including Stanley Tilakaratne, then MP for Kotte were to be arrested if the coup succeeded. Among those charged with masterminding the coup was one of those top Police Officers against whom Botejue had warned the Bandaranaike Government. Vernon Botejue belongs to that school of politicians who believed in politics of principles. He withdrew from politics as early as the 1960ss”.

During the course of Vernon’s long professional career he has had the distinction of performing Judicial functions for over forty years since the commencement of his practice at Mt Lavinia on December 1, 1949 in the new Court declared open at Mt Lavinia in August 1948 by Justice Minister Sir Lalitha Rajapakse that had jurisdiction as the Colombo South Magistrates Court but then enjoyed multiple jurisdiction that included inter alia the District Court and Court of Requests of Colombo.

Consequently since 1960 Vernon Botejue has acted as the Magistrate of Colombo South and Additional District Judge of Colombo and Commissioner of Requests of Colombo, Magistrate of Maligakanda MC and Magistrate of the Municipal Court of Dehiwela-Mt Lavinia during that period till 1974 when the Mt Lavinia District Court was created.

He has acted as the Magistrate of Gangodawila and some time for more than three weeks at a stretch, the acting Magistrate and District Judge of Homagama. He has also acted as the Magistrate of the Juvenile Court Colombo and presided at that point of time in the Circuit Court at Gampaha and Panadura.

Vernon Botejue was educated at S Thomas’ College Mt Lavinia following in the footsteps of his maternal grand father late Gate Mudaliyar Charles de Silva Wickremasinghe Gooneratne who was the Chief Interpreter Mudaliyar of the Supreme Court during the period of service of the Chief Justice Bonser and Woodrenton.

Vernon had a distinguished school career winning the Mollamure Prize for History of Ceylon and the Special Prize for General Knowledge of Ceylon in 1942. After leaving school he was an active member of the OBA of his alma mater and served for several years on the Executive Committee and held office as Vice President for more than two years including the Centenary Year of 1986-87. At the Ceylon Law College Vernon won the coveted ‘Hector Jayewardene Gold Medal’ for oratory in 1948. The other contenders that year included G F Sethukavalar PC and C G Weeramanthri who later adorned the World Court Bench.

After Vernon entered the legal profession in 1949 he was actively involved in politics and the Trade Union Movement as a member of the VLSSP led by Philip Gunawardene since 1953 and held office as the President of the Samastha Lanka Motor Sevaka Samithiya till 1959.

He served as a member of the Central Committee of the party that decided to join forces with the SLFP under the leadership of late S W R D Bandaranaike in 1956 under the coalition banner of the MEP. In fact he (Vernon) had been requested to contest the Horana seat at the Parliamentary elections of 1956 but later changed to contest the Agalawatte electorate but he gracefully declined the honour.

In 1957 he was elected to the Urban Council of Kotte as the member for Nugegoda. He was elected Vice Chairman and often served as the Acting Chairman of Kotte till 1959.

In 1957 Vernon Botejue led a delegation of the All Ceylon Harbour and Dock Workers Union and participated at the May day Rally in Peking.

He had the privilege of meeting Chairman Mao himself on invitation after the rally and had discussions personally with him. Vernon was also invited and granted the privilege of delivering a message over All China Radio that was beamed to Ceylon at that time.

In 1960 Vernon decided to quit active politics as he commenced to perform judicial functions. But moved by the spirit of continuing to serve his fellow beings he accepted the invitation of the Lions Club of Nugegoda to become a Charter Member of the International Association of Lions Clubs. In his Lionistic career Vernon had the distinction of being the first Sri Lankan Lion to win the ‘Top Ten Plaque’ the highest award of the Lions Clubs International for ‘International Understanding and Co-operation’ in 1973-74.

He was elected unanimously the District Governor of Lions District 306A Sri Lanka for 1980-81 and was sworn into office at the International Convention in Chicago.

He was elected the Chairman of the Council of Governors the apex body of Sri Lanka for 1981-82. He was awarded the International Presidents Gold Medal in 1980 for his outstanding contribution to the development of Lions Clubs International and service to the community. He is also a Melvin Jones Fellow of the Lions Clubs International.

Vernon Botejue has received International recognition being selected for inclusion and biographical reference in the 1985 Edition of the ‘Men of Achievement’ published throughout the World by the International Biographical Association Cambridge England and was elected a ‘Fellow of the Association’ in December 1985.

He has also been featured in the first edition of “The International Directory of Distinguished Leadership” and in the second edition of “The Five Thousand Personalities of the World” published by the American Biographical Research Institute of North Carolina, USA and was invited to accept office as a Deputy Governor of the Institute.