The Court of Appeal has issued an order suspending the arrest warrant previously issued by the Matale High Court against former Sri Lankan cricketer Upul Tharanga.
Last week, the Matale High Court issued the warrant after Tharanga, who is currently serving as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee, failed to appear in court in connection with a match-fixing case. The case stems from an investigation Tharanga himself initiated concerning the Legends League cricket tournament held in Kandy.
Tharanga was unable to attend the hearing, as he is currently in the United States participating in a franchise cricket tournament
In its order, the Court of Appeal instructed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) not to enforce the warrant issued by the Matale High Court. This development has drawn significant attention within the cricketing community, with many expressing concern over the legal challenges faced by Tharanga, despite being the original complainant in the case.
Criticism has been directed at the Police Sports Investigation Unit, with some suggesting that the handling of this case could deter players from filing match-fixing complaints in the future, given the complexities and difficulties of the legal process.
“On behalf of Upul Tharanga, I would like to extend our sincerest thanks to Senior Lawyer Nishan Premathiratne and his efficient team for their efforts in this matter. We are also thankful to the Court of Appeal for taking up our petition and ruling in favour of Upul after carefully considering our show of cause,” said Tharanga’s manager, Shyam Impett. (Newswire)