SLR power struggle further deepens with more legal disputes
The power struggle within Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) has taken another dramatic legal turn, as the Court of Appeal has been moved to consider contempt of court proceedings against Kavinda Ruwan Jayasena, President of the Central Province Rugby Football Union. The application, filed by the Attorney General under the Contempt of Court, Tribunal or Institution Act No.8 of 2024, alleges that Jayasena made disrespectful and willfully disobedient statements regarding a previous court order.
The case will be taken up for inquiry on contempt matter on Monday.
This arose from Jayasena’s petition and affidavit submitted on July 11 in CA/Writ Application No. 751/2025, where he challenged the decisions of a government-appointed Working Task Force overseeing Sri Lanka Rugby. Notably, Jayasena had previously been involved in a separate case—CA/Writ Application No. 438/2024—which was dismissed by the Court on May 20, 2025, with all associated contempt proceedings also struck out.
However, in his latest submissions, Jayasena criticised the court’s earlier judgment, referring to it as ‘shocking and unprecedented’. Specifically, his petition alleged that the court had allowed the first respondent in the previous case to ‘resile from the settlement in blatant violation of the trite law’. These statements, according to the Attorney General, amount to contempt under both Sections 3(1)(a) and 3(2)(a) of the new Contempt Act, which penalises attempts to bring the judiciary into disrespect or to willfully disobey a court’s decision.
The motion urges the Court of Appeal to take cognizance of Jayasena’s remarks and to initiate proceedings in accordance with Section 8(1) of the Act. The Attorney General has also requested permission to submit further documents in support of the contempt claim and has drawn attention to the material already filed by Jayasena in the ongoing writ case.
The extensive list of respondents named in the case—ranging from members of the Working Task Force and Election Committee to the Minister of Sports and provincial rugby secretaries—underscores the deep divisions and high stakes involved in the administration of the game.