Neethiya 21st anniversary volume launched
The 21st anniversary volume of Neethiya was launched on May 24, by
presenting its first copy to the Chief Justice. Dr. Shirani
Bandaranayake, by a member of the Editorial Board.
Co-incidentally, it was on May 23, 2012, that Upali A. Gooneratne PC
completed 40 years of active practice at the Bar. He became the first
lawyer of the Republic of Sri Lanka, when he was enrolled as an Advocate
on May 23, 1972, (the day after Sri Lanka became a Republic), before a
Bench of the Supreme Court presided over by Chief Justice H.N.G.
Fernando.
One of his outstanding contributions to the legal fraternity was the
publication of Neethiya with his personal funds. It was first launched
with the presentation of the Inaugural Issue to the then Chief Justice.
Parinda Ranasinghe on November 15, 1990.
Gooneratne, devoted over twenty one of his forty years at the Bar to
the uninterrupted publication of Neethiya in Sinhala, for the benefit of
thousands of lawyers, judges, law students and others interested in the
law.
He also spent the whole of those four decades for the cause of
professional legal education of several generations of law students.
He also served the Bar organizations both locally and abroad for 35
years, as Secretary General of the Asian Legal Research Institute in
Japan in 1977, as Secretary General of the All Asia bar Association in
1981, Deputy Secretary General, IBA (1992-1998) and as a Member of the
Executive Council of LAWASIA (1991-2005), in addition to having served
the BASL as its Secretary, Vice President and the youngest President.
Former members of the Chamber, including some living abroad,
felicitated him at Hotel Galadari in May 2009 when he had completed only
37 years at the Bar.
At the launch of Volume 20 last year, when it was intimated to the
then Chief Justice Asoka de Silva that Neethiya would cease publication
from then onwards, the Chief Justice remarked that Neethiya should
continue for at least another twenty five years," which received
publicity in the media. The present Chief Justice advised that Neethiya
should continue at least up to its 25th Anniversary. |