Chamika Karunaratne arrest warrant issued after the Sri Lanka cricketer failed to appear before court in a child maintenance case.
COLOMBO — Colombo Additional Magistrate Kasun Kanchana Dasanayake issued a warrant on September 28 for the arrest and production in court of Sri Lanka cricketer Chamika Karunaratne after he failed to appear in a child maintenance case.
The order was made when a maintenance application filed by airline pilot Sewwandi Senadheera was taken up for hearing.
Karunaratne did not appear when the case was called, prompting the Magistrate to issue the warrant after considering submissions made before court.
Senadheera has asked the court to order maintenance payments for a child she alleges was born from an intimate relationship with Karunaratne. Her complaint further alleges that the cricketer abandoned her and the child after breaking a promise of marriage.
The allegations remain before court and have not been judicially determined.
Two cases connected with the dispute had previously been filed before the Colombo District Court and Magistrate’s Court.
Earlier legal arguments also arose over a request by Senadheera for a DNA test to establish paternity and have Karunaratne’s name entered on the child’s birth certificate.
According to the report, that request was rejected following objections from the defence that the court had no legal provision to forcibly obtain blood samples from a person without consent.
Sri Lanka’s Maintenance Act No. 37 of 1999 provides a legal mechanism through which a mother may seek maintenance for a child from a person alleged to have neglected that responsibility.
The warrant issued on September 28 relates to Karunaratne’s failure to appear before court in the maintenance proceedings.
