Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is not vested with legal powers to remove the temporary ban that was imposed on Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka, Minister of Sports Roshan Ranasinghe told the media.

Danushka Gunathilaka who was accused of sexual assault during Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign in Australia last year, was found not guilty and released from all charges following a 11-month trial.

Following his release, Sri Lanka Cricket announced that the Independent Inquiry Committee appointed by the SLC, which was tasked with investigating the impact of the criminal allegations against the cricketer in Australia, has recommended a full lifting of the ban imposed on him in November 2022.

Commenting on the SLC decision, Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe told the media that the SLC has no legal right to take such a decision as the matter is connected to ongoing judicial proceedings.

The Sports Minister said the ban can only be lifted on the recommendations of the National Sports Council, together with the advice of Sri Lanka’s Attorney General, and after presenting facts to the judiciary.

He further slammed the SLC for acting against the laws of the nation, stating, “SLC thinks they are under a different law and not Sri Lanka’s law. It looks like they have filed a case against the investigative reports on the cricketer without looking into the law.