C. V. Vigneswaran

Canagasabapathy Visuvalingam Vigneswaran, PC (Tamil: கனகசபாபதி விசுவலிங்கம் விக்னேஸ்வரன், romanized: Kaṉakacapāpati Vicuvaliṅkam Vikṉēsvaraṉ; born 23 October 1939) is a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, judge, politician and Member of Parliament.[1] After practising law for more than 15 years, Vigneswaran was a member of the judiciary for 25 years. He was a magistrate and a judge of the District Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. He was Chief Minister of the Northern Province from October 2013 to October 2018. He was elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in August 2020. Vigneswaran is leader of the Tamil People's Alliance and the Tamil People's National Alliance.

Hon.

C. V. Vigneswaran

MP PC
க. வி. விக்னேஸ்வரன்
Vigneswaran in March 2015
Member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
Assumed office
2020
ConstituencyJaffna District
1st Chief Minister of the Northern Province
In office
7 October 2013 – 23 October 2018
Member of the Northern Provincial Council
In office
2013–2018
ConstituencyJaffna District
Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka
In office
March 2001 – October 2004
Appointed byChandrika Kumaratunga
Personal details
Born
Canagasabapathy Visuvalingam Vigneswaran

(1939-10-23) 23 October 1939
Colombo, Ceylon
Political partyTamil People's Alliance
Other political
affiliations		Tamil People's National Alliance
Alma mater
ProfessionLawyer

Early life and family

Vigneswaran was born on 23 October 1939 in Hulftsdorp, Colombo, the capital of Ceylon.[1][2] His parents were born in Manipay in northern Ceylon and he had two sisters.[2][3] His father Canagasabapathy was a public official who worked in several parts of the country.[2][3] Vigneswaran's grandfather was a cousin of statesmen P. Ramanathan and P. Arunachalam.[2]

Vigneswaran's father's work meant that the family moved often. Vigneswaran spent the first nine years of his life in Kurunegala and studied at Christchurch College.[2] The family then moved to Anuradhapura where Vigneswaran attended Holy Family Convent.[2][3] Vigneswaran joined Royal College, Colombo aged 11.[2][4][5] After school Vigneswaran obtained B.A. degree from the University of London and LL.B. degree from the University of Ceylon.[2][3] He then joined Ceylon Law College, qualifying as a proctor and an advocate.[2][3] He was president of the Law Students’ Union at the college in 1962.[2][3]

One of Vigneswaran's sons is married to the daughter of government minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara.[6][7] His other son is married to the niece of former MP Keseralal Gunasekera.[2]

Vigneswaran is also a follower of the controversial guru Swami Premananda whom he has compared to Jesus and has requested that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi release three jailed followers Premananda.[8][9]

Career

Law

Vigneswaran practised of law for more than fifteen years.[3][10][11] He is a President's Counsel.[12][13] He joined the Judicial Service on 7 May 1979.[5][14] He served as a magistrate and District Judge in Batticaloa, Chavakachcheri and Mallakam.[5][14] He became District Judge for Colombo in January 1987.[5][14] He was appointed to the High Court in 1988, serving in Northern Province, Eastern, North Central, Uva and Western provinces.[5] He was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 1995.[5][10]

Vigneswaran was appointed to the Supreme Court in March 2001.[15] He retired in October 2004.[16]

Politics
Vigneswaran meets U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power in November 2015

In April 2013 it was reported that Vigneswaran had been chosen by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to be its chief ministerial candidate in the upcoming election to Northern Provincial Council (NPC).[17][18] The reports were denied by the TNA.[7] However, in July 2013, after nominations were called for the provincial council election, the TNA announced that Vigneswaran would be its chief ministerial candidate in the Northern Province.[19][20][21] He contested the provincial council election as one of the TNA's candidates in Jaffna District and was elected to the NPC.[22][23] Vigneswaran received his chief ministerial appointment letter from Governor G. A. Chandrasiri on 1 October 2013.[24][25][26] He took his oath as chief minister and provincial councillor in front of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat on 7 October 2013.[27][28][29]

Vigneswaran's relationship with the TNA leadership deteriorated thereafter.[30][31] In December 2015 he became leader of the newly formed Tamil People's Council (TPC), a forum to highlight issues affecting Sri Lankan Tamils.[32][33] The TPC, which included civil society groups, religious leaders and academics as well as political parties, claimed that it wasn't political or an alternative to the TNA.[34][35] On 24 October 2018, the day after he ceased being chief minister, Vigneswaran announced that he had formed a new political alliance, the Tamil People's Alliance (TPA, Thamizh Makkal Kootani).[36][37]

In February 2020 the TPA joined with three other political parties to form the Tamil People's National Alliance (TPNA, Thamizh Makkal Tesiya Kootani) electoral alliance to contest the parliamentary election.[38][39] Vigneswaran became the alliance's leader.[40][41] He contested the 2020 parliamentary election as one of the TPNA's candidates in Jaffna District and was elected to the Parliament.[42][43][44]

Electoral history
Electoral history of C. V. Vigneswaran
Election Constituency Party Alliance Votes Result
2013 provincial[23]Jaffna DistrictIllankai Tamil Arasu KachchiTamil National Alliance132,255Elected
2020 parliamentary[45]Jaffna DistrictTamil People's AllianceTamil People's National Alliance21,554Elected

References
  1. "Directory of Members: C.V.Wigneswaran". Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka: Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  2. Wijedasa, Namini (21 July 2013). "'I'm not a politician, I only wish to serve my suffering people'". The Sunday Times. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  3. Liyanasuriya, Sathya (15 May 2014). "Walking the political tightrope". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  4. Bastians, Dharisha (31 October 2004). "Justice on a razor's edge". The Sunday Leader. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  5. Fernando, Susitha R. (20 October 2004). "Top Judge Hits Out at Judicial Process". The Daily Mirror / Jana Sammathaya (Asian Human Rights Commission). Archived from the original on 19 March 2010.
  6. Hoole, Ratnajeevan (23 April 2013). "Mischief By Asian Tribune: The Northern Province Chief Minister Candidature". Colombo Telegraph. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  7. Rajasingham, K. T. (28 April 2013). "Simmering discontent within TNA threatens to explode". Sunday Observer. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  8. Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (22 April 2017). "C.V.Wigneswaran hurts Christian sentiments". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  9. Karthick, S. (24 April 2015). "Lanka province CM seeks release of 3 convicts in Premananda". The Times of India. Mumbai, India. Times News Network. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  10. Peebles, Patrick (2015). Historical Dictionary of Sri Lanka. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 387. ISBN 978-1-4422-5584-5.
  11. ""Law and its sanction is based today on forced legitimacy"". Daily FT. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  12. Ilangamuwa, Nilantha (23 February 2014). ""Life has to be designed by your intellect and not by emotion" : An Interview with Justice C. V. Wigneswaran". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  13. Piyasena, Lakshman (1 March 2015). "'Independence and corresponding power within a united country'". Sunday Observer. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  14. Maniccavasagar, Chelvatamby (2 November 2004). "Justice Wigneswaran - a multi-faceted personality". Daily News. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  15. "S.C Judge says Tamil rights were snatched away". TamilNet. 8 March 2001. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  16. "Veteran Supreme Court Judge retires". TamilNet. 20 October 2004. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  17. Rajasingham, K. T. (19 April 2013). "Retd. Justice C.V. Wigneswaran: Chief Minister Candidate of Tamil National Alliance?". Asian Tribune. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  18. Peiris, Harim (1 May 2013). "TNA vs LTTE – The Northern Provincial Council stakes". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  19. Palakidnar, Ananth (15 July 2013). "Justice Vigneswaran TNA's CM choice". Ceylon Today. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013.
  20. "Justice Wigneswaran TNA CM candidate". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  21. "Elections to the Northern Provincial Council". Tamil National Alliance. 15 July 2013. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013.
  22. "Part I : Section (I) — General - Government Notifications - Provincial Council Elections Act, No. 2 of 1988 - Northern Province Provincial Council" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. No. 1829/33. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 25 September 2013. p. 3A.
  23. "Provincial Council Elections 2013 – Results and preferential votes: Northern Province". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  24. "New Chief Minister appointed to Northern Provincial Council – 01 October 2013". Jafnna, Sri Lanka: Northern Provincial Council. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  25. "Part IV (A) — Provincial Councils - Appointments &c., by the Governors - Northern Province Provincial Council - Appointment made by the Governor of the Northern Province" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. Vol. 1831/01. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  26. "C.V. Vigneswaran receives appointment letter". Ceylon Today. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 1 October 2013. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015.
  27. "Wigneswaran takes oath as Northern Province CM". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Indo-Asian News Service. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  28. "Wigneswaran sworn-in as NPC CM". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 7 October 2013. Archived from the original on 10 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  29. "Sri Lanka poll: Tamil minister Wigneswaran says 'peace possible'". BBC News. London, U.K. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  30. Chandraprema, C. A. (26 October 2018). "Wigneswaran's new party: Debut at PC polls or Presidential election?". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  31. Balachandran, P. K. (26 June 2018). "Both Sampanthan and Wigneswaran seeking unity, but terms clash". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  32. "Tamil People's Council inaugurated in Jaffna". Tamil Guardian. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  33. "TPC success depends on geopolitically addressing national question". TamilNet. 25 December 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  34. "New Tamil Group Not Alternative To TNA". The Sunday Leader. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 27 December 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  35. Ramakrishnan, T. (28 December 2015). "Another Tamil group joins Tamil People's Council". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  36. Srinivasan, Meera (25 October 2018). "Wigneswaran floats new political party". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  37. Madushanka, Romesh (24 October 2018). "Wiggy parts ways with TNA, forms TPA". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  38. "New alliance for North". Daily FT. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  39. Rajasingham, K. T. (10 February 2020). "Disgruntled Tamil elements form a new alliance to divides Tamils further". Asian Tribune. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  40. Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (24 March 2020). "How Will the TNA fare at Parliamentary Election?". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  41. "Polls at last; lacklustre election campaign ends tonight". The Sunday Times. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 2 August 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  42. "Part I : Section (I) — General - Government Notifications - Parliamentary Elections Act, No. 1 of 1981" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. No. 2187/26. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 8 August 2020. p. 5A. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  43. "General Election 2020: Preferential votes of Jaffna District". Ceylon Today. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  44. Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (8 August 2020). "TNA suffers electoral setback in North and East polls". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  45. "General Election Preferential Votes". Daily News. Colombo Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka. 8 August 2020. p. 2. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
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