Chelliah Rajadurai (Tamil: செல்லையா இராசதுரை; 27 July 1927 – December 2025) was a Sri Lankan Tamil politician and government minister, Member of Parliament and Mayor of Batticaloa.[1]
C. Rajadurai | |
|---|---|
செ. இராசதுரை | |
| Minister of Regional Development | |
| Minister of Hindu Religious Affairs | |
| Member of the Ceylonese Parliament for Batticaloa | |
| In office 1956–1989 | |
| Preceded by | R. B. Kadramer |
| 1st Mayor of Batticaloa | |
| In office 1967–1968 | |
| Succeeded by | J. L. Tissaveerasinghe |
| Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Malaysia | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 July 1927 Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka |
| Died | December 2025 (aged 98) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Party | United National Party |
| Ethnicity | Sri Lankan Tamil |
Early life and career
editRajadurai was born on 27 July 1927.[2] Rajadurai was a journalist and a member of the editorial staff of the Sutantiran weekly newspaper.[3]
Rajadurai was elected to elected to Parliament at the 1956 parliamentary election as the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi's (Federal Party) candidate for Batticaloa.[4] He was re-elected at the March 1960, July 1960, 1965 and 1970 parliamentary elections.[5][6][7][8] He was the Tamil United Liberation Front candidate in Batticaloa at the 1977 parliamentary election and was re-elected.[9] In March 1979 he defected to the United National Party led government and was rewarded by being appointed Minister of Regional Development and Hindu Cultural Affairs.[10][11][12] He was later appointed Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Malaysia.[13]
Rajadurai became the first Mayor of Batticaloa in 1967.[14] He was unseated the next year.[14]
Personal life and death
editRajadurai was still politically active in April 2012.[15] As of June 2021, he was retired and lived between Malaysia, India and Sri Lanka.[16]
Rajadurai died in Chennai, India on December 7, 2025, at the age of 98.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "முன்னாள் அமைச்சர் செல்லையா இராஜதுரை காலமானார்". Tamilwin (in Tamil). 7 December 2025. Archived from the original on 8 December 2025. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "Rajadurai, Chelliah". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
- ^ Sri Kantha, Sachi. "One Hundred Tamils of the 20th Century: V.Navaratnam". Tamil Nation.
- ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1956" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015.
- ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960-03-19" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2015.
- ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960-07-20" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015.
- ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1965" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2015.
- ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1970" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2009.
- ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2011.
- ^ Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 27: Horsewhip Amirthalingham". Sri Lanka: The Untold Story. Archived from the original on 22 June 2002.
- ^ Wickramasinghe, Wimal (15 January 2008). "Saga of crossovers, expulsions, resignations, terminations, death and by-elections in Sri Lanka". The Island (Sri Lanka).
- ^ Jayawarden, Kishali Pinto (7 April 2002). "That conscience Bill coming again". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
- ^ "TELO opposes Rajadurai attending Chelva anniversary in Jaffna". TamilNet. 23 April 2012.
- ^ a b "History of Municipal Council". Batticaloa Municipal Council. Archived from the original on 27 July 2013.
- ^ "Indian embassy, Chandrahasan, Rajadurai, conspicuous at Chelva memorial in Jaffna". Tamil Net. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "TULF Leader Anandasangaree dared to defy the LTTE". FT.lk. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2022.