Sri Lanka Cricket has initiated a defamation lawsuit in opposition to the nation’s sports activities minister, because the row over the administration of cricket within the nation deepens.

SLC is currently suspended by the ICC, on the request of SLC’s personal officers, in an try to impress on the Sri Lankan authorities that the ICC won’t tolerate political interference within the board.

Meanwhile, at residence, SLC and the sports activities minister are at conflict on numerous fronts – this defamation lawsuit being the newest of them. Separate from this authorized motion, the sports activities minister has additionally vowed to battle the keep order delivered by the Sri Lankan courts final Tuesday, which eliminated the “interim committee” that the minister had appointed, and primarily reinstated the board officers who had been sacked the day prior to this.

“In response to the persistent and damaging defamatory statements made by the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Roshan Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka Cricket has taken a decisive step to protect its reputation and integrity,” a board launch stated. “Therefore, on the 13th November 2023, [SLC officials] jointly filed a defamation lawsuit in the District Court of Colombo, seeking damages amounting to 2.4 billion rupees on behalf of the Sri Lanka Cricket.”

The launch didn’t point out which specific statements SLC alleges are defamatory, however the feedback which have been taken exception to, doubtless came on Saturday, throughout an extended press convention the sports activities minister held, wherein he accused the board of corruption and mismanagement, amongst different issues. The minister has been accusing the board of corruption for round a 12 months, however has typically accomplished so in parliament the place his speech is protected against defamation fits as a consequence of parliamentary privilege.

SLC had additionally held a press convention on the identical day which featured private insults directed on the sports activities minister.

Under Sri Lanka’s sports activities legislation, which has been in place since 1973, the sports activities minister does have a spread of powers over SLC in addition to different sporting our bodies within the nation.

SLC is in search of assurances from the highest degree of Sri Lanka authorities, that there will probably be no additional political interventions, which in flip is more likely to see the ICC suspension on the board lifted.