Deshamanya Deshamanya ( si, දේශමාන්‍ය, translit=Dēshamāṉya; ta, தேசமான்ய, translit=Tēcamāṉya; Pride of the Nation) is the second-highest national honour of Sri Lanka awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a ...

Miliani Edward Claude Sansoni (18 November 1904 - 1979) was a

Ceylonese Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka * A person from Sri Lanka, see Demographics of Sri Lanka ** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority ** Sri Lankan Tamils, an ethnic minority ** Sri L ...

judge, who served as the 32nd

Chief Justice of Ceylon The Chief Justice of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head of the judiciary of Sri Lanka and the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. Established in 1801, the Chief Justice is one of ten Supreme Court justices; the other nine are t ...

Early life and education

Born on 18 November 1904 to Claude Aldons Sansoni, JP, a Proctor and Hilda Gratiaen, daughter of Edward Stork Gratiaen, Colonial Surgeon, Ceylon Medical Department and Sophia Jane Vander Smagt. He had a brother Hildon Claude Sansoni and a sister Sylvia Carmen, who married Clinton Bryan Fernando. His brother Hildon Claude Sansoni was a proctor and a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the Ceylon Royal Navy Reserve, who served as an extra aide-de-camp to the

governor general of Ceylon The Governor-General of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch in the Dominion of Ceylon from the country's independence in 1948 until it became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972. History There were four governors-general. ...

. He married the artist Barbara Sansoni, who founded the

Barefoot Barefoot is the state of not wearing any footwear. There are health benefits and some risks associated with going barefoot. Shoes, while they offer protection, can limit the flexibility, strength, and mobility of the foot and can lead to h ...

textile design company. She gave birth to two sons; Dominic and Simon. Sansoni was educated at

Royal College Colombo Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janu ...

, where he was the editor of the ''Royal College Magazine''. He graduated from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

with a BA degree and was called to the bar as a barrister from the

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...

. On his return to Ceylon, he was enrolled as an advocate.

Judicial career

After practicing the unofficial bar, he was appointed Acting Magistrate, Dandagamuwa in December 1937 and thereafter Acting Magistrate,

Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...

. He joined the

Ceylon Judicial Service The Judicial Service in Sri Lanka forms the professional judges of the Judiciary of Sri Lanka. It consists of the judges of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, High Courts and the judicial officers ( District judges and Magistrate The te ...

on 1 July 1939, on probation in the Class II, Grade I as Magistrate, Kandy and was confirmed in service on 1 July 1940. Promoted to Class II, Grade III on 1 April 1942, he was appointed District Judge,

Tangalle Tangalle ( Sinhala තංගල්ල , ta, தங்கல்லை) (also known as Tangalla) is a large town in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. It is one of the largest towns in southern provinc ...

. He went on to serve as District Judge, Batticaloa (28 August 1944); Acting District Judge, Badulla (16 April 1945); Acting District Judge,

Panadura Panadura ( si, පානදුර, translit=Pānadura; ta, பாணந்துறை, translit=Pāṇantuṟai) is a city in Kalutara District, Western Province in Sri Lanka. It is located approximately south of Colombo and is surrounded on ...

(19 August 1946); District Judge,

Kegalle Kegalle ( si, කෑගල්ල; ta, கேகாலை) is a large town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It is located on the Colombo– Kandy road, approximately from Colombo and from Kandy. It is the main town in the Kegalle Distr ...

(15 January 1947); Additional District Judge, Colombo (1 April 1949). He was promoted to Class I, Grade II on 1 January 1946, Supernumerary Officer (Class I, Grade II) on 1 March 1948 and Officer Class I, Grade I in March 1949 in the Ceylon Judicial Service. Between March 1949 and September 1953, he served as Additional District Judge, Colombo; Acting District Judge, Colombo and District Judge, Colombo. On 15 September 1953 he was appointed Commissioner of Assize and promoted to officer Special Class in the Ceylon Judaical Service on 9 November 1953. He was thereafter appointed to 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 ...

as a

Puisne Justice A puisne judge or puisne justice (; from french: puisné or ; , 'since, later' + , 'born', i.e. 'junior') is a dated term for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. Use The term is used almost exclusively in common law ...

. He was appointed in 1964 as

succeeding Hema Henry Basnayake and served as Chief Justice until 1966. He was succeeded by Hugh Norman Gregory Fernando. He chaired the '' Sansoni Commission'' that investigated the riots of 1977.

Honors

He was conferred the national honour of the title of

in the first ever Independence Day National Honours list in 1986.

Family

He married Phyllis Frances Ondaartje daughter of Aelian Owen Morgan Ondaartje, JP, UM, a Proctor and Elsie Thompson Staiunton at the St. Michael's and All Angels' Church, Colombo on 4 October 1930. They had a daughter, Tania Sansoni and son, Miliani Philip Sansoni.

References

External links

"A Historic Injustice" A Response to Nihal Jayawickreme’s article in the Sunday Island of 15.1.2012A Response To Nihal Jayawickreme
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sansoni, M 1904 births Year of death missing 20th-century Sri Lankan people Burgher judges Burgher lawyers Sri Lankan barristers Chief justices of Sri Lanka Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Alumni of the University of London Members of Gray's Inn Deshamanya Sri Lankan people of Dutch descent Sri Lankan people of Italian descent