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Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 controversy

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The Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 controversy refers to an incident that happened on the night of 4 April 2021, during the grand finale of the Mrs. Sri Lanka pageant in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The competition ended in bizarre fashion when Pushpika De Silva, who was initially crowned as Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021, unceremoniously had her crown forcibly removed from her head on stage by the previous title holder, Caroline Jurie, who stated that De Silva should be disqualified for being a divorcee, something De Silva denied.[1][2] The incident sparked social media reaction and wide media attention.[3][4] De Silva was reinstated as the legitimate winner of the Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 competition and therefore was eligible to compete at the Mrs. World 2021 pageant.[5]

Events

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Mrs. World 2020 Caroline Jurie became subject of controversy after unceremoniously stripping off the crown from Pushpika De Silva.

On the night of 4 April 2021, the grand finale of the Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 pageant was held at the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre in Colombo. The event was partially telecast live via Rupavahini, which is one of Sri Lanka's main national television channels.

During the grand finale, contestant number 20, Pushpika De Silva was crowned by the judging panel as the winner of the Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 beauty pageant. She was crowned by Caroline Jurie, the reigning Mrs. World 2020 and Mrs. Sri Lanka 2020. However, moments after officially announcing the winner of the competition, Jurie rushed to the stage. With microphone in hand, she declared that there is a rule about being married and not divorced, and that she was taking the first steps in saying that the crown goes to the first runner up.[6] She then proceeded to unceremoniously take the crown from De Silva and put it on the head of the first runner-up, Ashya Basnayaka.[7][8][9][10] Following the incident, De Silva left the stage in tears, causing outcry and confusion among the public.[11] De Silva reportedly suffered injuries to her head when Jurie forcibly removed her crown.[12][13]

Aftermath

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De Silva stated on her Facebook account that she was recovering from head injuries after being hospitalised and denied claims that she was a divorcee.[14][15] It was reported that De Silva was separated from her partner for personal reasons. She threatened legal action against those who insulted her during the incident.[16][17][18] The organisers of the Mrs. Sri Lanka event apologised for the incident and ensured that the crown and cash prize would be presented back to De Silva.[19] On 6 April 2021, the organisers returned the crown and prize to De Silva and issued an apology regarding the controversy.[20]

Mrs. World Inc indicated that it deeply regretted Jurie's conduct and warned of investigations to determine further possible actions against Jurie.[21][22]

After the incident, De Silva's husband stated in a Facebook post that he had not been involved with her for the past four years and they were finalizing their divorce. The Daily Mirror said that De Silva's case had been fixed in court for June or July 2021.

On 8 April 2021, Caroline Jurie and runner-up Chula Padmendra were arrested by the police and questioned.[23][24] They were arrested based on three separate counts.[25] However, both of them were released on bail later on the same day.[26][27]

After being released on bail, Jurie posted an Instagram video in which she defended her decision and mentioned that she is ready to pass on her Mrs. World crown.[28][29]

Chula Padmendra mentioned in an interview that there were no auditors and translators in the Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 pageant, and not all contestants were treated equally on stage due to a favoritism scandal as seen by witnesses and other evidence. She said the scandal was to be presented in an upcoming court case in regards to the incident.[30]

The Mrs World organization announced later in April that Kate Schneider from Ireland, who was the first runner-up when Jurie won the title, was the winner following Jurie's voluntary resignation as Mrs. World.[31] Jurie remained as a former Mrs. World and was listed in the official booklet of Mrs World 2022.[32]

Pushpika De Silva was officially stripped of her title on 8 February 2022 on grounds of 'serious violation of the discipline and the ethical standards expected of a beauty queen.'[33]

References

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  1. ^ Yeung, Jessie. "'Mrs. Sri Lanka' pageant controversy erupts after former title holder snatches winner's crown". CNN. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 pageant ends in melee – winner stripped of crown". Sri Lanka News – Newsfirst. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  3. ^ "On-stage brawl leaves Mrs Sri Lanka winner with head injuries". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  4. ^ "How International media reported Mrs. Sri Lanka saga". NewsWire. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  5. ^ Scroll Staff (7 April 2021). "Drama at Mrs Sri Lanka pageant as Pushpika de Silva wins, loses crown (injuring her head), then wins". Scroll.in. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Watch: Mrs Sri Lanka beauty queen's crown 'snatched' on stage [video]". The South African. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Watch the moment 'Mrs Sri Lanka' crown was stolen". Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  8. ^ "Watch the moment 'Mrs Sri Lanka' crown was stolen". BBC News. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 ends in major brawl". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Mrs Sri Lanka beauty queen's crown snatched from head over divorce claims". Sky News. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Watch: 'Mrs Sri Lanka' leaves stage in tears after previous winner snatches crown, calls her 'divorcee'". The Indian Express. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Sri Lanka beauty queen injured after Mrs. World steals her new crown". Global News. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  13. ^ "'Mrs Sri Lanka' beauty queen injured in on-stage bust-up". BBC News. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Mrs Sri Lanka regains title after crown snatched". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  15. ^ Francisco, Dinuli. "Farcical scenes at Mrs. Sri Lanka pageant 2021". Daily News. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Mrs World faces police probe after crown tussle with Mrs Sri Lanka". South China Morning Post. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Sri Lanka's brawling beauties end up at the police station". EconomyNext. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  18. ^ ""Did not violate pageant rules, will take legal action against incident" – Pushpika". Sri Lanka News – Newsfirst. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Pushpika De Silva will be re-crowned as Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021". ColomboPage News. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  20. ^ "Pushpika De Silva re-crowned Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021". Sri Lanka News – Newsfirst. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Mrs. World Inc regrets Caroline Juries conduct at Mrs. Sri Lanka pageant". Sri Lanka News – Newsfirst. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  22. ^ Vyshnavy (6 April 2021). "Mrs. World international to take action against Caroline Jurie | Colombo Gazette". Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  23. ^ "Mrs. World Caroline Jurie arrested". Daily Mirror. Sri Lanka. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  24. ^ "Mrs World Caroline Jurie arrested, following Mrs. Sri Lanka fiasco". Sri Lanka News – Newsfirst. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  25. ^ "Mrs World Caroline Jurie & Model Chula arrested". NewsWire. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  26. ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Sri Lankan beauty queen released on bail over Mrs World scuffle | DW | 08.04.2021". DW.COM. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  27. ^ "Mrs. World Caroline Jurie, Chula Padmendra granted police bail – UPDATE". Daily News. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  28. ^ Pietsch, Bryan (10 April 2021). "After Snatching One Crown, Mrs. World Gives Up Her Own". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  29. ^ "Sri Lanka : Mrs World 2020 Caroline Jurie relinquishes her crown". www.colombopage.com. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  30. ^ "මටයි Caroline Jurieටයි බොරු දේවල් හදලා වියදම් කරලා මඩගහනවා.තරඟය නැවත පැවැත්විය යුතුයි|Chula |Hari Tv" – via www.youtube.com.
  31. ^ "Mrs World 2020 title to Ireland as Sri Lanka's Caroline Jurie resigns". EconomyNext. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  32. ^ "Daily Mirror Exclusive | Live interview with Tana Johnson". YouTube.
  33. ^ "Pushpika De Silva loses 'Mrs. Sri Lanka for Mrs. World' title". newsfirst.lk. 8 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
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