State Council of Ceylon | |
|---|---|
| British Ceylon | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Established | 1931 |
| Disbanded | 1947 |
| Preceded by | Legislative Council of Ceylon |
| Succeeded by | Parliament of Ceylon |
| Seats | 58 |
| Elections | |
Last election | 1936 Ceylonese State Council election |
| Meeting place | |
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| The State Council building in Galle Face Green, Colombo. The building was used by the State Council's successors (the House of Representatives of Ceylon, National State Assembly, and Parliament of Sri Lanka) until 1982. Today it is known as the Old Parliament Building and houses the Presidential Secretariat. | |
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of Sri Lanka |
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The State Council of Ceylon was the unicameral legislature for Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), established in 1931 by the Donoughmore Constitution. The State Council gave universal adult franchise to the people of the colony for the first time. It replaced the Legislative Council of Ceylon, the colony's original legislative body.
There were only two State Councils: the First, elected in 1931, and the Second, elected in 1936. The 1947 Soulbury Constitution replaced the State Council with the Parliament of Ceylon, as part of a process of constitutional development leading up to independence, which took place on 4 February 1948.