1. Shelton Ranaraja was a Sri Lankan lawyer, politician and deputy minister.
17 Facts About Shelton Ranaraja
1. 2.
Shelton Ranaraja was the son of landowner and politician P B Ranaraja.
3.
Shelton Ranaraja's father contested the 1931 State Council elections for the Galagedara, losing by 1,055 votes to P B Nugawela and unsuccessfully contested the seat at the 1936 State Council elections.
4.
Shelton Ranaraja's father ran in the 1952 parliamentary elections as the UNP candidate for Dambulla, losing to H B Tenne.
5.
Shelton Ranaraja was a keen sportsman, obtaining colours in athletics, boxing, cricket and swimming.
6.
Shelton Ranaraja won the election by a narrow margin of 25 votes and entered Parliament.
7.
Shelton Ranaraja was one of 14 government MPs who voted against the nationalisation, defeating the government by one vote and precipitating the 1965 parliamentary election which the SLFP lost.
8.
Shelton Ranaraja did not contest the 1965 parliamentary election, concentrating instead on his legal practice.
9.
In 1973 Shelton Ranaraja joined the UNP upon the invitation of new leader JR Jayewardene and was appointed party organiser for Senkadagala.
10.
Shelton Ranaraja stood as the UNP candidate in Senkadagala at the 1977 parliamentary election and was re-elected to Parliament.
11.
In 1980, when the UNP government passed a law depriving SLFP leader Sirimavo Bandaranaike of her civic rights, Shelton Ranaraja opposed the move in cabinet and was not present when the law was debated in Parliament.
12.
Shelton Ranaraja resigned from the government in November 1988 over Jayewardene's refusal to dissolve Parliament.
13.
Shelton Ranaraja refused and as a result wasn't selected as a candidate.
14.
Shelton Ranaraja retired from law in 1999 after fifty years at the bar.
15.
Shelton Ranaraja was appointed to the Human Rights Commission in Kandy in 2001 but resigned after discovering that its recommendations were not being implemented.
16.
Shelton Ranaraja was president of the Central Province Cricket Association and Kandy District Cricket Association and captain of the Kandy Lawyers cricket team.
17.
Shelton Ranaraja died on 11 August 2011 in Kandy due to cancer.