Cycling election stayed until Oct 1
The Court of Appeal has ordered an extension of the stay order preventing the election of the Cycling Federation of Sri Lanka (CFSL) until October 1. This extension enforces the stay initially issued by Colombo District Judge Sahan Vithana.
During the hearing, presided over by Judge M.T.M. Lafar at the Court of Appeal, Senior State Counsel Maithree Amarasinghe and Deputy Solicitor General Manohara Jayasinghe, appearing on behalf of the defendant, expressed their intention to appeal for the annulment of the stay order. The plaintiff’s legal team, led by Attorneys-at-Law Hijaz Hisbullah and Piumi Seneviratne, indicated their intention to amend the complaint’s title due to a change in the defendant’s portfolio.
The court granted permission to replace former Minister of Sports Harin Fernando with President Ranil Wickremesinghe as a respondant, given that the Ministry of Sports now falls under the President’s control following the former minister’s departure. The court also permitted the substitution of the Attorney
General in place of President Wickremesinghe for the
ongoing case.
DSG Jayasinghe emphasised
the necessity of conducting the CFSL elections swiftly after the
stay order is withdrawn. The Court of Appeal granted this appeal and ordered the defendants to file objections by October 1 to
consider their appeal.
The CFSL elections, initially scheduled for July 24, were to be overseen by an Election Committee appointed by CFSL Competent Authority Prof. Shamal Fernando, the Director General of the Department of Sports Development. The petition emerged after the nominations of former DIG K.P.P. Pathirana and Nimal Bulathsinhala were rejected despite prior approval by the then Minister of Sports, as well as the denial of voting rights to the Kurunegala District Cycling Association and Meegoda Cycling Club.