SLC election on May 31

Sri Lanka Cricket has rescheduled its Annual General Meeting for May 31, the board said on Tuesday. The election was due to be held on May 19 but was postponed on the instruction of the Attorney General's Department. 

According to these rules, all National Sports Associations (NSAs) should “hold a Special General Meeting to elect the members for the Elections Committee”. However, SLC formed a five-member committee through its Executive Committee without a mandate from the general membership to do so.
Accordingly a Special General Meeting will be held on May 19 to appoint the Election Committee. It was earlier decided to have the SGM on May 13 but was later rescheduled for May 19 on legal advise. 
The board CEO said they need to give 21 days of notice for a SGM as per the Sports Regulations and hence the date was rescheduled.
Speaking at a press conference in Colombo SLC  President Thilanga Sumathipala said that he is confident of winning the election.
"Out of the 84 member associations, 61 have endorsed my candidature which shows the amount of trust and confidence they have in me. So belive I am the most suited to hold this position," he said adding that he has no connections to betting, sports goods and newspaper industries as some claimed.

by Champika Fernando

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) ran into a major controversy on Friday after the Attorney General’s (AG) Department questioned the legality of the scheduled election saying the country’s richest sports body has contravened the Sports Regulations in force.

SLC scheduled its election of office bearers for May 19 with nominations set to close on Friday (April 27). But the AG’s directive means the election will now be postponed to late June.

SLC yesterday confirmed a Special General Meeting will now be held on May 13 to reconstitute the Elections Committee to conduct the Elective Annual General Meeting (AGM), a mandatory requirement under the Sports Regulations gazetted in October 2016.

According to these rules, all National Sports Associations (NSAs) should “hold a Special General Meeting to elect the members for the Elections Committee”. However, SLC formed a five-member committee through its Executive Committee without a mandate from the general membership to do so.

The Sports Regulations also cite that all NSAs should give notice at least 40 days prior to the AGM to its affiliates. This means that, if the notices are dispatched along with a certified copy of the Audited Financial Statement soon after the SGM on May 13, the soonest elections could be held is on June 23rd.

The Executive Committee headed by Thilanga Sumathipala will continue to hold office on an interim basis until the elections are over. Their term ends on May 31.

SLC claimed they had followed written instructions from former Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera to appoint the Elections Committee through the Executive Committee for this year but the AG’s Department on Friday ruled that a minister’s directive or letter cannot overrule a regulation which amounts to a subsidiary legislation.

“Our position is when a regulation is in force which amounts to a subsidiary legislation it cannot be changed by a letter or a directive issued by a minister in-charge of the subject,” a senior legal source said. “Then you have to amend the regulations. Our advice is limited to a legal position and nothing else.”

Hours before the nominations closed on Friday, Panduka Keerthinanda–a lawyer by profession and a former member of the National Sports Council–made a protest to Acting Sports Minister Faiszer Musthapha that the SLC has contravened the Sports Regulations when constituting the Election Committee.

The Minister then referred the matter to the AG’s department which in turn asked SLC to respect the regulations in force. Thus the nominations submitted will be canceled and fresh nominations are required to be called.

SLC elections to be postponed

by Champika Fernando

Sri Lanka Cricket will be forced to postpone  their election following a directive from the Attorney General’s Department. Sports Ministry sought AG’s advise on a complaint they received on the formation of the Election Committee. According to the Sports Regulations the Election Committee who is responsible in conducting the election, should be appointed at an Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting. 

However SLC has not followed the regulations when forming five-member committee as it was done by the the Executive Committee.

Therefore, AG has advised SLC to respect the Sports Regulations and call for a Special General Meeting to form the Election Committee.

Sri Lanka Cricket elections are scheduled for May 19 and the nominations closed at 3 p.m today.