Nationality Sri Lankan Role Lawyer Occupation Politics Died February 26, 1954 | Profession Lawyer Party Sri Lanka Freedom Party Name Herbert Nissanka | |
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Political party Sri Lanka Freedom Party Other political
affiliations Lanka Sama Samaja Party Alma mater St Edmund Hall, Oxford
Royal College, Colombo
Ananda College Education St Edmund Hall, Oxford, University of Oxford, Royal College, Colombo, Ananda College | ||
Herbert Sri Nissanka, KC (also known as Nissanka Herbert Mendis) (7 December 1898 – 26 February 1954) was a Ceylonese lawyer and statesmen. Elected to the first post independence parliament, he was one of the founding members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
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Education
Educated at Ananda College and later at Royal College Colombo, Nissanka entered St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree. He studied law was called to the bar at Middle Temple.
Legal career
Thereafter practiced in Ceylon as Junior to E. W. Jayewardene, KC appearing before Sir Thomas De Sampayo, KC. He went on to become a prominent criminal lawyer. He was a commissioned officer of the Ceylon Light Infantry in the 1930s. Nissanka was the Member of the Board of Appeal of the Rubber Commissioner’s Department (1938) and a member of the Archeological Commission.
Political career
Entering politics as member of the Colombo Municipal Council in January 1944, he served till December 1946. Nissanka he was elected to Member for Kurunegala in the first Parliament in 1947 an independent candidate. In 1951 along with S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Sri Nissanka formed the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
Other work
Nissanka was a founder of the Salagala Monastery (1936), the Biyagama Monastery and headed the 1936 Ceylon Delegation to the Pan Pacific Conference of Buddhist Associations held in Tokyo. He was also the President, Dumb Friends League and Honorary Counsel to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.