Sri Lanka Cricket has filed a defamation suit against the country’s sports minister, as a row over the administration of cricket in the country deepens.
Meanwhile, at home, SLC and the Sports Minister are waging a war on different fronts, with this defamation lawsuit the latest between them. Aside from this legal action, the Sports Minister also vowed to fight the suspension order issued by the Sri Lankan courts last Tuesday, which dismissed the “caretaker committee” appointed by the minister, and reinstated the sacked board officials. yesterday.
“In response to the ongoing and damaging defamatory statements made by Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Roshan Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka Cricket has taken a decisive step to protect its reputation and integrity,” a board statement said. “Therefore, on November 13, 2023, [SLC officials] They jointly filed a defamation suit in the Colombo District Court, seeking damages amounting to Rs 2.4 billion on behalf of the Sri Lanka Cricket Team.
The SLC also held a press conference on the same day that included personal insults directed at the Sports Minister.
Under the Sri Lanka Sports Act, in place since 1973, the Sports Minister has a range of powers over the SLC as well as other sporting bodies in the country.
SLC is seeking assurances from the top level of the Sri Lankan government that there will be no further political interference, which in turn is likely to lead to the ICC’s suspension being lifted from the Board.
