Deva Manoharan Swaminathan (Tamil: தேவ மனோகரன் சுவாமிநாதன், Sinhala: දේවා මනෝහරන් ස්වාමිනාදන්; born 30 April 1945) is a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, politician and ex cabinet minister.
D. M. Swaminathan | |
|---|---|
தே. ம. சுவாமிநாதன் | |
 | |
| Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs[a] | |
| In office 12 January 2015 – 18 November 2019 | |
| Member of Parliament for National List | |
| In office 2010–2020 | |
| 2nd Governor of Western Province | |
| In office 11 July 1994 – 1 December 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Suppiah Sharvananda |
| Succeeded by | K. Vignarajah |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Deva Manoharan Swaminathan 30 April 1945 |
| Political party | United National Party |
| Other political affiliations | United National Front for Good Governance |
| Spouse(s) | Gayathri Swaminathan (née Carthigesan) |
| Children | Shobana, Prakash |
| Residence(s) | 125 Rosmead Place, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka. |
| Alma mater | Ceylon Law College |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Ethnicity | Sri Lankan Tamil |
| Religion | Hindu |
Early life and family
Swaminathan was born on 30 April 1945.[1] He is the son of M. Swaminathan and Lalithambikai (daughter of S. Pararajasingam and grand daughter of P. Arunachalam).[2] He was educated at Royal College, Colombo.[2] After school he joined Ceylon Law College, qualifying as an advocate of the Supreme Court.[2]
Career
After qualifying Swaminathan started practising law in Colombo, taking over the chambers of proctor Ratnakaram which were renamed D. M. Swaminathan Associates in 1971.[3]
Swaminathan was appointed Governor of Western Province in June 1994 after the controversial dismissal of Suppiah Sharvananda by President D. B. Wijetunga.[4] He was appointed chairman of the National Savings Bank in March 2002, serving until 2004.[5][6]
Swaminathan was appointed as one of the United National Party's (UNP) National List MPs in the Sri Lankan Parliament following the 2010 parliamentary election.[7][8] In October 2010 he was appointed to the Parliamentary Council which was established by the controversial 18th Amendment to make non-binding recommendations the president on the membership of various national commissions.[9][10][11] After the 2015 presidential election he was appointed Minister of Resettlement, Reconstruction and Hindu Religious Affairs by newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena.[12][13]
Swaminathan was re-appointed as a National List MP following the 2015 parliamentary election.[14][15] He was appointed Minister of Rehabilitation and Resettlement on 24 August 2015.[16][17] He was given the additional portfolio of Hindu Affairs on 4 September 2015.[18][19] He was given the additional portfolio of Prison Reforms on 11 November 2015.[20][21]
Swaminathan has been a member of the Rotary Club of Colombo since 1971.[22] He is a trustee of the Sri Ponnambala Vaneswara Temple at Sea Street in Kochchikade, Colombo which was founded by his great-great-grand father A. Ponnambalam.[23] He is one of the UNP's vice-chairmen.[24][25] He was also treasurer of the UNP.[26][27]