Mrs World 2020, Caroline Jurie, has stepped down from the title after an onstage fracas with the Mrs Sri Lanka pageant winner, Da Silva, on Sunday.
The Beauty Queen snatched the crown off her successor after announcing she was not qualified for the win because she was divorced.
“As for the Mrs World competition, there is a rule that you have to be married and not divorced. So, I’m taking my first step saying that the crown goes to the first runner-up,” Jurie said at the televised event.
Da Silva, who later received the crown on Tuesday, said in a Facebook post that being apart from her husband was different from being divorced. She dared anybody claiming she was divorced to produce her divorce script.
On Thursday, police spokesman, Ajith Rohana, told the BBC that Jurie and model, Chula Padmendra, were arrested on “charges of simple hurt and criminal cause” related to the crowning ceremony incident.
In a video posted on her Instagram account to address the issue, Jurie said the reason for her action was to push for a fair stage where rules and regulations were equal to all.
Speaking on the purpose of the pageant, she noted that even though the pageant was not to discriminate against divorced women or women separated from their husbands, the purpose was to “celebrate all women who are married and still strive to conquer that dream, along with the commitment and responsibilities of a married woman.”
She went on to say she would provide support to the new queen who would be competing at the 2021 Mrs World pageant, to ensure she can compete on a fair playing ground.
She ended her speech by saying, “I believe that if we have to lose something so that we can give another woman an opportunity to compete on a stage with a purpose that is equal and fair to all, then we must take a stand. I will always stand for fair and equal opportunity. I am now ready to hand over the crown.”
While Jurie and Chula are expected to appear in court on April 19, Da Silva has said she is ready to drop charges if a public apology is tendered to her.
Speaking with reporters outside a police station in Columbo on Thursday, Da Silva said, “I tried to end this out of court, but she has refused. I can forgive but I cannot forget.”