Now the SLC rival camp, headed by Kangadaran Mathivanan, is of the view that with AG having accepted that current SLC’s term was over on 20 February 2021 and a new management body has to be appointed by the Sports Ministry to look into SLC’s affairs until its next election slated for 20 May, the last financial year accounts of SLC become null and void. Those accounts have been passed by the ex-co four days after 20 February, it is alleged.

“If those accounts are null and void, then there is a situation where there have been no SLC accounts for the past year. If that is the case, then the current body can be deemed to have violated the Sports Law of the country by not handing over their annual accounts to the Auditor General in time, as per the Sports Law,” one of the leading members of the SLC rival camp told The Morning Sports on the condition of anonymity yesterday (29).

“We have raised this issue before the SLC election appeal committee. If it will not look at favourably at our protest, then will move court on that. I’m sure the court will give heed to our query going by the AG's recent verdict,” he added.

The 10 March 2020 Gazette Extraordinary (2166/9) states in its Part 1, paragraph I - 3A, Part I: Sec. (I) thus: “III. he being a person who is holding the post of President, Secretary, Treasurer or the other Cheque signing officer of a National Association of Sports which has not submitted the Audited Financial Statements certified by the Executive Committee within 02 months after the end of each financial year, such persons are not permitted to submit nominations for the posts in the forthcoming year of election until the inquiry is conducted and the offenders is determined.”

A senior SLC official said though that such an outcome is unlikely. “It is difficult for me to make any comment on such a legal situation. But for me, it is something highly unlikely,” he said.

The SLC detractors are also of the opinion that presenting of annual accounts by a body, which is invalid, can also become null and void. In such a scenario, not only last year’s accounts but the appointment of SLC Cricket Director Tom Moody’s appointment too will also be in jeopardy, they argue, because that too had been made after 20 February, the day the actual two-year term of the present SLC had been over.

This kind of a development might lead to obstruct Shammi Silva, current SLC President, Mohan de Silva, Secretary, Lasantha Wickramasinghe, Treasurer, and the sport body’s two “Cheque signing officers”, its two Vice Presidents Jayantha Dharmadasa and Ravin Wickramaratne, facing s situation where they can't contest the scheduled 20 May election, going by the above-said Sports Law clause.

“I can’t make any comment on that,” the senior SLC official, whom we spoke to yesterday, said.

Meanwhile Sports Ministry sources said a multi-member panel is likely to be appointed by its Secretary Anuradha Wijekoon soon to govern the sport until the next elections.