Court set to rule on legality of SLR Task Force after WPRFU challenge
View(s):Colombo District Court Judge Sandun Vithana, who had earlier issued an enjoining order halting the operations of the Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) Working Task Force, is expected to deliver his ruling on Monday following the conclusion of submissions by all parties on Friday.
On Wednesday (23), the Judge issued a temporary order restraining the Working Task Force from functioning until August 5, after considering a petition filed by the Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU). The petition was submitted by WPRFU President Roshan Deen and Secretary Waruna de Silva.
In its plea, the WPRFU urged the court to bar the first to seventh defendants from making appointments or taking decisions on behalf of SLR, alleging such actions violated the existing SLR constitution. The petitioners argued that the Working Task Force had called for club and union membership applications under a constitution that had not been officially ratified at an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting.
The named respondents include SLR, Executive Director Chula Ariyaratne, and Working Task Force members Retired Senior DIG of Police M.R. Latiff (Chair), Suresh Subramaniam, Dinal Phillips, M.H. Marso, and Ravindranath Wijenathan. The Working Task Force was appointed in May by the Sports Minister after suspending SLR’s membership and removing its Competent Authority, leaving the sport without an elected governing body.