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Maas Thajoon Akbar, KC (15 June 1880 – 22 April 1944) was a Ceylonese (Sri Lankan), judge and lawyer. He was a judge of the Supreme Court of Ceylon and Solicitor General of Ceylon.

Born to M. S. J. Akbar, a wealthy coconut planter, Akbar was educated at the Royal College, Colombo. After gaining a first class division pass at the London Matriculation, he won the coveted scholarship to University of Cambridge: he entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1897 where he did the Mechanical Science Tripos to qualify as an engineer. However, he subsequently switched over to law and was called to the bar at Gray's Inn as a barrister.

He returned to Ceylon in 1905, and while practicing law as an advocate, he also worked as a lecturer and examiner at the Ceylon Law College. In 1907 he became a Crown Counsel in the Attorney General's Department and went on to become the Solicitor General of Ceylon and Acting Attorney General, when C.H. Elphinstone, the Attorney General at that time was away on furlough. As the Solicitor General he was a member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon and had served as a District Judge on occasions too.

He chaired the University Commission and became the first Muslim to adorn the Supreme Court Bench. When he was appointed as a King's Counsel, he was the first Ceylon Muslim to receive the honor. At the time of his retirement he was the senior-most puisne justice.

Akbar was the Chairman of the University Commission on whose recommendation the Legislative Council resolved, in 1928, that the University should be of the unitary and residential type, and that it should be located in the Dumbara Valley near Kandy.

He was the founder of the Ceylon Moslem Educational Society, that established the Hussainiya Boys' School and the Fathima Girls' School.

References

1. "Akbar, Mass Thajoon (AKBR900MT)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.

External links

• Akbar, Maas Thalep

v t e ← Members of the 1921 Legislative Council of Ceylon (1921 (1921)–1924) →
President: William Manning (1921–25) Vice President: (1921–1924)
Ex offico Members (5)	General Officer Commanding the Troops Clifford Coffin Colonial Secretary Graeme Thomson Benjamin Horsbourgh Attorney General Henry Gollan Thomas Forrest Garvin Controller of Revenue Benjamin Horsbourgh Edward Bruce Alexander Colonial Treasurer Bernard Senior Wilfred Wentworth Woods
Nominated Members (13)	Official Members (9) John George Fraser Frederick Bowes Harold Thomas Creasy George James Rutherford Edwin Evans Maas Thajoon Akbar Geoffrey Philip Greene Frank Arthur Stockdale Humphrey William Codrington Unofficial Members (4) Muhammadan (1) N. H. M. Abdul Cader Kandyan (2) J. H. Meedeniya Tikiri Bandara Panabokke II Indian (1) E. G. Adamaly
Elected Members (17)	Territorial (11) Western Province (Division A) (1) Wilfred Martin Rajapakse Western Province (Division B) (1) E. W. Perera Town of Colombo (1) James Peiris Central Province (1) Gerard Wijeyekoon Northern Province (1) Waithilingam Duraiswamy Southern Province (1) O. C. Tillekeratne Eastern Province (1) E. R. Tambimuttu North Western Province (1) Charles Edgar Corea North Central Province (1) Don Simon Dias Krisnaratne Province of Uva (1) Henry Kotelawala Province of Sabaragamuwa (1) W. E. Boteju Communal (6) European (Urban) (1) Unfinished European (Rural) (1) Unfinished Commercial (1) Unfinished Burgher (2) Allan Drieberg Unfinished Low-country Products Association (1) Henry De Mel Unknown Ponnambalam Ramanathan James Thomson Broom Mohamed Macan Markar Arthur Alvis Marcus Fernando James Graeme Sinclair Robert Spencer Philpott Thomas Howard Chapman Edward Bruce Alexander Robert Niemann Thaine

• 1880 births
• 1944 deaths
• Puisne Justices of the Supreme Court of Ceylon
• 20th-century Sri Lankan judges
• Alumni of Royal College, Colombo
• Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge
• Members of Gray's Inn
• 20th-century King's Counsel
• Members of the Legislative Council of Ceylon
• District Courts of Sri Lanka judges
• Solicitors general of Ceylon
• British Ceylon judges