The Court of Appeal has issued an interim order preventing the implementation of a gazette notification issued by the Minister of Sports in relation to the regulation of activities of sports associations including Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), until the hearing of the writ petition filed by the SLC and several sports associations is concluded.

The order was issued by the two-member appellate court bench consisting of the President of the Court of Appeal Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and Justice A. Marikkar when a writ petition filed by several sports associations including the Sri Lanka Cricket was taken up for consideration today (Feb. 27).

Accordingly, the Court of Appeal also ordered the respondents of the case including the Minister of Sports to file objections related to the petition on or before April 27, if any.

Further, the petitioning party was ordered to file any relevant contradictions before June 12, whereas the petition was ordered to be recalled on June 22.

The petitions point out that the Minister of Sports has issued a series of regulations on December 14, with regard to the matters including the Tenure of Sports Associations, holding elections, term of office of the positions held in sports associations and age limitations.

President’s Counsel Romesh de Silva and other attorneys, who presented facts before courts on behalf of the petitioning party, mentioned that these regulations issued by the Minister of Sports are beyond his authority.

The attorneys of the petitioning party also stated that the Minister has violated the power of the Parliament by enacting the laws, pointing out that the relevant regulations are against the law.

President’s Counsel Uditha Egalahewa, who appeared for the responsible Sports Minister, expressed that the Government’s Auditor General has also conducted an investigation and submitted a report on the alleged corruption irregularities carried out in the SLC. 

He further emphasized that the Government’s Auditor General has recommended that a criminal investigation be conducted on such suspicious activities, adding that the Minister proceeded to issue the series of relevant regulations after taking all those facts into consideration.

The President’s Counsel also alleged that the petitioners have tried to conceal the facts through these petitions.