Sri Lanka's court of appeal on Monday stayed the ongoing investigations by a special committee into the transactions and decisions of the country's cricket board's former executive committee headed by Thilanga Sumathipala. Justice Shirani Thilakawardena issued the interim stay order till November 8 on a writ petition by a J M Muzzammil, former vice-president of the now dissolved Sri Lankan Cricket Board, seeking the quashing of the appointment of a five-member 'probe committee' by the sports ministry. The probe panel was appointed by the then sports minister Lakshman Kiriella after he sacked the elected executive of the board on March 28 amidst a spate of controversies and litigation. The panel headed by well known lawyer Hemantha Warnakulasuriya, has submitted a report on alleged irregularities in the construction of an international cricket stadium at Dambulla under Sumathipala's stewardship. Sumathipal has already obtained anticipatory bail in a criminal case being investigated by the police in connection with the Dambulla Stadium.

According to Muzzammil's attorneys, Samararatna Associates, the petition has challenged the composition of the six-member probe committee, as they were all either known detractors of the former executive committee or had a conflict of interest. Bureau Report