Court Issues 14-day Stay Order On Arjuna Ranatunga-led Interim Committee

Court issues 14-day stay order on Arjuna Ranatunga-led Interim Committee (Image Source: IANS)

Sri Lanka Cricket Shammi Silva: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) encountered yet another twist in its administrative turmoil as the country's Court of Appeal on Tuesday issued a 14-day stay order preventing the operation of the gazette notification in respect of SLC's interim committee appointed by the Sports Minister.

The Court of Appeal issued this order after considering a writ petition filed by the Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket Shammi Silva. It will remain in effect until November 16, according to Daily Mirror.

On Monday, Sri Lanka sports minister Roshan Ranasingha sacked the country's cricket board and appointed an interim committee headed by former cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga to assume control of SLC.

Hours after the decision, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe asked Ranasinghe for an immediate explanation as to why he had made such a move without consulting him or the cabinet.

According to widespread reports, he was made aware that the Sri Lanka Cricket Board had been suspended and an interim committee was appointed only through the news.

Later on Monday evening, the cabinet meeting was convened, where Ranasinghe was also present, a four-member cabinet sub-committee headed by Minister Ali Sabry including Ministers Kanchana Wijesekara, Manusha Nanayakkara and Tiran Alles was appointed to look into SLC's future activities and the gazette notification issued appointing the SLC interim committee members.

"The Cabinet has resolved to appoint a special sub-committee with the mandate to examine the current situation and work in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including input from esteemed former cricketers. The primary objective of this sub-committee is to recommend immediate, viable measures to resolve the outstanding issues in Sri Lanka Cricket," a statement from the president's media office said.

The sub-committee has been authorized to co-opt the services of any official or expert in the relevant field as they deem necessary for their deliberations," it added.