Robert Rajanayagam Selvadurai (19 November 1894 – 1973) was a leading Ceylon Tamil lawyer and civil servant.

Early life

Selvadurai was born on 19 November 1894. He was son of Godwin William and Gnanamma Selvadurai form Chundikuli in northern

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. He was educated at St. John's College, Jaffna and S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. Selvadurai married Lilly Suhitharetnam Saravanamuutu. They had three sons (G. E. Selvadurai K. C. Selvadurai, Dr IL Selvadurai and two daughters (Gnanamma, Parimalam).

Career

After school Selvadurai taught briefly at S. Thomas' College before becoming an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

and practising law in

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

. After three years he joined the

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

, serving as a

police magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''Roman magistrate, magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and pos ...

Kalutara Kalutara (, ) or Kalutota is a major city in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is also the administrative capital of Kalutara District. It is located approximately south of the capital Colombo. The city holds a unique posit ...

and district judge in Tangalle,

Badulla Badulla (, ; ,) is the capital and the largest city of Uva Province situated in the central hills of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Uva Province and the Badulla District. Geography Badulla is located in the southeast of Kandy, almost enci ...

Kegalle Kegalle (; ) is a large town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It is located on the Colombo–Kandy road, approximately from Colombo, from Kandy, from Kurunegala and from Avissavella. It is the main town in the Kegalle District, which i ...

Kandy Kandy (, ; , ) is a major city located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of ...

and

Jaffna Jaffna (, ; , ) is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a Jaffna Peninsula, peninsula of the same name. With a population o ...

. Selvadurai was appointed

Permanent Secretary A permanent secretary is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are ...

at the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

in 1951. He retired in 1955. In 1946 Selvadurai was elected president of the Old Boys' Association of St. John's College, Jaffna. Selvadurai and his family were victims of 1958 anti-Tamil riots. On 27 May 1958 as Sinhalese mobs attacked Tamil targets, Selvadurai and his family, like hundreds of Tamils, were forced to flee from their home on Templar's Road, Mount Lavinia and seek refuge in a police station. The family home was burnt down by the mob that night. The following morning Selvadurai and one of his sons went back to their home to retrieve the few personal belongings which survived the fire but they were spotted by a group of eight people who proceeded to destroy the personal belongings as well. Selvadurai died in 1973.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Selvadurai, R. R. 1894 births 1973 deaths Alumni of St. John's College, Jaffna Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Ceylonese advocates People from Northern Province, Sri Lanka People from British Ceylon Permanent secretaries of Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Tamil people District Courts of Sri Lanka judges Sri Lankan lawyers Sri Lankan teachers