Hugh Norman Gregory Fernando,

OBE 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 ...

(17 November 1910 – 24 March 1976) was

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 ...

lawyer and judge. He was the 33rd Chief Justice of Ceylon and had served as Legal Draftsman of Ceylon.

Early life and education

Born to

V. M. Fernando Justice Vincent M. Fernando was a Sri Lankan judge. He was a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ceylon. He served as a crown counsel taking part in several notable cases such as the Basnayaka Nilame Vs Attorney General. He was appointed to the Suprem ...

, a Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Ceylon, Fernando was educated at St. Joseph's College, Colombo and at the University of Oxford, where he gained a BA degree and was called to the bar as a

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 ...

from the Gray's Inn. On his return to Ceylon, he was enrolled 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, ...

Legal career

Having acted as a Crown Counsel between December 1935 to September 1936, he was appointed Assistant Legal Draftsman on 1 October 1936. On secondment he served as Secretary of the Mortgage Law Commission and the Committee Investigating Representations from Departments where strikes occurred. He was promoted to Senior Assistant Legal Draftsman on 20 April 1945. In February 1948, he was appointed a member of the Company Law Commission. Having served as Acting Legal Draftsman from October 1948 to January 1949, he was appointed Legal Draftsman on 7 January 1949. In August 1953, he served as Acting Solicitor General. Thereafter he was appointment as Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Ceylon in 1955."A Historic Injustice" In The Supreme Court - The Facts
/ref> He was appointed in 1966 succeeding Miliani Sansoni and was Chief Justice until 1973. He was succeeded by Gardiye Punchihewage Amaraseela Silva.

Honors

He was appointed an Officer in the Order of the British Empire in the

1953 Coronation Honours The 1953 Coronation Honours were appointments by Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours on the occasion of her coronation on 2 June 1953. The honours were published in ''The London Gazette'' on 1 June 1953.New Zealand list: The reci ...

Family

His son, Mark Fernando also served as Judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando, Hugh Norman Gregory Chief justices of Sri Lanka 20th-century Sri Lankan people People from British Ceylon 1910 births 1976 deaths Sinhalese judges Sinhalese lawyers Sri Lankan barristers Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Alumni of the University of Oxford Members of Gray's Inn Ceylonese Officers of the Order of the British Empire