SLC elections: Mohan and Ravin disqualified

By Madushka Balasuriya

Mohan De Silva and Ravin Wickramaratne have been disqualified from contesting this month’s Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) elections, the Sports Ministry has confirmed, after an election appeals committee upheld objections against their candidacy. 

Appeals were also lodged against Jayantha Dharmadasa, Shammi Silva, Bandula Dissanayake and Lalith Rambukwella. However, all four have been cleared.

De Silva was due to run for the post of SLC President, while Wickramaratne was set to run for re-election as SLC Secretary. A Sports Ministry media release announcing the decision didn’t specify the reasons behind the pair’s ineligibility. 

The decision means that it will be a straight shootout between Dharmadasa and Silva for the post of SLC President. 

Speaking to Daily FT, De Silva, who said he was irked at having to learn of the decision via the media, confirmed he would be contesting the decision following discussions with his lawyers. 

“It’s surprising that it has been released to the media without first informing me. I’m definitely disappointed with the decision and I will contest it. I’ll consult my lawyers and take whatever legal action possible to safeguard my reputation and reverse this grave injustice caused to me,” he said. 

He also shared his bemusement at the fact that Dharmadasa, who he maintains is ineligible to contest, was given the go-ahead. Dharmadasa’s nomination had already been cleared once by the Elections Committee after it had been challenged on the grounds that he had not “represented an affiliate or controlling club or a member cricket association in any major tournament conducted or approved by SLC” – a prerequisite for running for SLC President as per the SLC Constitution. Dharmadasa, for his part, claims his time playing mercantile cricket, which is now no longer considered a ‘major tournament’, clears him to contest. 

“I just can’t believe that a person who has never played the game has been cleared, and a person who has all the necessary credentials and attributes has been rejected,” mused De Silva. 

“We knew that there was a move. This has been in the air for some time. But I never expected respected law abiding people to come to this conclusion.”

The Advisory Committee for elections-related appeals consisted of retired Supreme Court Judge Nimal Dissanayake, who chaired the committee, retired Supreme Court Judge Devika Tennakoon, and retired Sri Lanka Customs Additional Director General Dharmasena Kahandawa. Sri Lanka Cricket elections are due to be held on 21 February.