M. A. Sumanthiran
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Honourable M. A. Sumanthiran MP |
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| ம. ஆ. சுமந்திரன் | |
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| Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for Jaffna District |
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Assumed office 2015 |
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| Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for National List |
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In office 2010–2015 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
9 February 1964 Inuvil, Ceylon |
| Political party | Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi |
| Other political affiliations |
Tamil National Alliance |
| Alma mater | Monash University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Christian |
| Ethnicity | Sri Lankan Tamil |
| Website | sumanthiran |
Mathiaparanan Abraham Sumanthiran (Tamil: மதியாபரணம் ஆபிரகாம் சுமந்திரன்; born 9 February 1964; commonly known as M. A. Sumanthiran) is a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, politician and Member of Parliament.
Sumanthiran was born on 9 February 1964 at the Church of South India's McLeod Hospital in Inuvil in northern Ceylon. His family are from the Vadamarachchi region of the Jaffna peninsula - his father is from Karaveddy and his mother is from Kudathanai. Both of his grandfathers were teachers in Vadamarachchi. Sumanthiran grew up in Colombo and was educated at Royal College, Colombo. After school he joined the University of Madras, graduating with a B.Sc. degree in physics. He then proceeded to Sri Lanka Law College, qualifying as an advocate.
Sumanthiran is a Methodist Christian. He is vice-president of the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka.
Sumanthiran was called to the bar in 1991. He then started practising law in Colombo, appearing in civil litigation cases in the supreme court, court of appeal, commercial high court and district courts. His successful cases include the privatisation of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation, privatisation of Lanka Marine Services and the closure of Pramuka Bank. He has appeared in a number of fundamental rights cases and judicial reviews of parliamentary legislation and executive action including the charging of levy for water and establishing a revenue authority. He prevented the forced expulsion of Tamils from Colombo and successfully challenged an anti-conversion bill which the courts struck down as being unconstitutional. He has also appeared for petitioners against the proposed 18th and 19th amendments to the constitution which were found to be unconstitutional and required two-thirds majority in Parliament and a referendum. He has worked on a number of public interest cases including the ongoing attempt by residents of the Valikamam North High Security Zone to get their land back from the Sri Lankan military. His human rights work has led to him being threatened, harassed and branded "traitors in black coats" by the Sri Lankan military under the then President's brother Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
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