Sri Lanka's World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga has challenged the Sports Ministry's decision to sack him as Sri Lanka Cricket chief in the Supreme Court.
Sri Lanka's World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga has challenged the Sports Ministry's decision to sack him as Sri Lanka Cricket chief in the Supreme Court.
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Ranatunga has filed a Fundamental Rights application in the country's top court challenging Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge's decision to remove him as head of the interim Committee of SLC last month.
The former captain has prayed the Court to rule the Sports Minister's decision to remove him from the said post as null and void besides demanding Rs 15 million as compensation for the "massive damage caused to his reputation".
Ranatunga in his application, earlier this week, cited Lokuge, Sports Ministry Secretary S Liyanagamage and three others as respondents.
Ranatunga was appointed as the Chairman of the Interim Committee of SLC on January 1, 2008 and removed on December 23, 2008 and he claimed that during this period Sports Minister Lokuge had interfered with the matters in SLC.
Ranatunga, who is also a Member of Parliament, told the House yesterday that he moved the top court to seek "justice against waste and corruption that has taken place in the Sri Lanka Cricket Board".
He said he had to take his case before the top courts to clear his name. "I briefed the authorities several times about the waste and corruption that is rampant in the Cricket Board," the State run Daily News quoted him as saying.
"Corruption is rampant in the Board and none of the authorities listened to me," he said.
"My name has been slurred as several corrupt officials have made damaging allegations against me. That is why I wanted to go before the Court," Ranatunga had told the Parliament.
Last month, Lokuge dissolved the interim administration of Sri Lanka Cricket, headed by Ranatunga, saying the SLC needed an immediate change of hands. The Sports Secretary, S Liyanagama was appointed to oversee the SLC administration until a decision is taken on a new board.
According to sources, the immediate issue for Ranatunga's removal was, however, the sacking of 16 SLC employees by him without consultation with the Ministry.
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