SC upholds Rs. 500 Mn defamation ruling against Lake House

October 14, 2025 at 5:39 PM

The Supreme Court has upheld the Colombo District Court’s ruling ordering the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL), commonly known as Lake House, to pay Rs. 500 million in damages to former minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe for defamation.

The case stemmed from a November 2007 publication in Silumina, which carried two full pages of allegedly defamatory statements against Rajapakshe, then a Member of Parliament representing the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA). The article followed his decision to cross over from the Government to the Opposition.

In 2009, Rajapakshe filed a defamation suit in the Colombo District Court against ANCL and then-editor Karunadasa Suriarachchi, seeking Rs. 500 million in compensation. The court ruled in his favour in 2010, awarding the full amount. ANCL’s subsequent appeal to the Civil Appellate High Court was dismissed in 2013.

A final appeal filed by ANCL before the Supreme Court was dismissed on October 14, 2024, affirming the lower court’s decision.

The appeal was heard before Justices Janak de Silva, Achala Wengappuli, and Sobitha Rajakaruna.

Senior Attorney-at-Law G.G. Arulpragasam, instructed by Attorneys Sajana de Soysa and Randhiwari Arangala, appeared with President’s Counsel Kuvera de Soysa for Rajapakshe. President’s Counsel Faiz Mustapha represented ANCL. (Newswire)