Ezlynn Isabel Améliè Deraniyagala (1908 – 1973) was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n lawyer and feminist, who was the first female

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

in the country.

Early life and education

Ezlynn Isabel Améliè Obeyesekere was born in 1908, the only daughter and second child of F. A. Obeysekera, the speaker of the

State Council of Ceylon The State Council of Ceylon was the unicameral legislature for Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), established in 1931 by the Donoughmore Constitution. The State Council gave universal adult franchise to the people of the colony for the first time. It r ...

and a member of the

Legislative Council of Ceylon The Legislative Council of Ceylon was the legislative body of British Ceylon, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1833, along with the Executive Council of Ceylon, on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission. It was the first f ...

, and Anna Isabella née Sykes. She attended

Hillwood College Hillwood College is an independent private girls' school in Kandy, Sri Lanka founded by British Anglican missionaries of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society in 1890. The school is situated in the Kandy Lake round (Victoria Drive). Th ...

, Kandy before finishing her secondary schooling at St. Bridget's Convent, Colombo. She then attended

St Anne's College, Oxford St Anne's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded in 1879 and gained full college status in 1959. Originally a women's college, it has admitted men since 1979. It has some 450 undergraduate and 200 ...

, where she was president of the Geldart Society. In 1934 she obtained her degree and was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

. In 1935 she was appointed as an

Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

in the

Supreme Court of Ceylon The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය, Sri Lanka Sreshthadikaranaya; ta, இலங்கை உயர் நீதிமன்றம், Ilankai uyar neetimanram) is th ...

, becoming the first female barrister in Ceylon.

Ceylon Women Lawyers’ Association

She was elected as the first President of the Ceylon Women Lawyers’ Association (1960-1961, 1966-1967). Deraniyagala served as the long-time president of the All-Ceylon Women's Conference. Deraniyagala served as the Vice President of the

International Alliance of Women The International Alliance of Women (IAW; french: Alliance Internationale des Femmes, AIF) is an international non-governmental organization that works to promote women's rights and gender equality. It was historically the main international org ...

from 1952–1955, becoming its 5th president from 1958–1964, presided over the Alliance’s 19th Congress in Ireland in 1961 and its 20th congress in Italy in 1964.

Family

She married

Ralph St. Louis Pieris Deraniyagala Ralph St. Louis Pieris Deraniyagala, was Ceylonese lawyer and civil servant. He was the former Clerk to the House of Representatives (1947–1964) and Clerk of the State Council. Born to Sir Paul Edward Pieris, civil servant and scholar, ...

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

a lawyer, who became the Clerk of ParliamentCeylon list: He was a son of Sir Paul Pieris and Lady Hilda Obeyesekere Pieris.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deraniyagala, Ezlynn Sri Lankan feminists Sinhalese lawyers 1908 births 1973 deaths 20th-century Sri Lankan lawyers Alumni of Hillwood College Alumni of St. Bridget's Convent, Colombo Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford Members of the Inner Temple Sri Lankan women's history Sri Lankan barristers Ceylonese advocates People of British Ceylon International Alliance of Women people

Early life and education

Ceylon Women Lawyers’ Association

Family

See also

References