The day-to-day operations of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs will be overseen by its Secretary, K. Mahesan, following the resignation of Minister Harin Fernando last Friday (9).
Mahesan said that until President Ranil Wickremesinghe issues a gazette notification to bring the ministry under his purview, or to assign it to another minister or the current State Minister, the ministry’s work will be handled by the Secretary. Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Rohana Dissanayake is the current State Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs.
Fernando, who also held the Cabinet portfolios of Tourism and Lands, was forced to step down after the Supreme Court (SC) upheld the Samagi Jana Balawegaya's (SJB) decision to expel him from the party 12 months ago.
The apex court rejected Fernando's petition, which sought to declare the SJB’s decision illegal. As a result, Fernando is disqualified from serving as a lawmaker in the current Parliament, effective August 9, per the SC ruling.
