Appeals Court terminates petition against SLC Interim Committee

The Court of Appeal has terminated consideration of the petition filed against the gazette notification issued by former Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe to appoint an interim committee for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

President of the national cricket governing body Shammi Silva had put forward the petition.

However, the judge bench has decided to allow the petitioners to reconvene their application if a legal need that is deemed reasonable arises in the future.

On November 06, a seven-member Interim Committee was appointed by the then-Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe. Chaired by World Cup-winning former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga, the panel consisted of S. I. Imam, Retired Supreme Court Judge; Rohini Marasinghe, Retired Supreme Court Judge; Irangani Perera, Retired High Court Judge; Arjuna Ranatunga (Chairman); Upali Dharmadasa; Rakitha Rajapakshe, Attorney-at-Law; and Hisham Jamaldeen.

The following day, the Appeals Court issued a 14-day stay order on the Interim Committee. The relevant order was issued by a two-member judge bench consisting of Appeals Court President Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and Justice Vikum Kaluarachchi, upon consideration of the writ application filed by the SLC President Shammi Silva challenging the move.

Later, on November 13, then Sports Minister Ranasinghe filed a motion requesting the lifting of the stay order.

Nevertheless, on November 27, President Ranil Wickremesinghe removed SLPP parliamentarian Ranasinghe from all his positions including as the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs and Minister of Irrigation. Harin Fernando, who was serving as the Minister of Tourism, was subsequently sworn in as the new Minister of Sports to replace Ranasinghe.

Not long after his appointment, Minister Fernando, on December 12, issued a new Extraordinary Gazette to dissolve the panel appointed by Ranasinghe. Accordingly, by means of the new communiqué, the Extraordinary Gazette bearing reference No. 2356/43 dated November 05, 2023, has been rescinded with immediate effect, thereby dissolving the Interim Committee appointed to exercise the powers, functions and duties of SLC. 

The sports minister communicated this to the Appeals Court on December 13.