Cabinet Spokesman, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, says the Secretary of the Ministry of Mass Media will take the necessary actions regarding complaints received against any media violating conditions related to the broadcasting frequency licence.

Addressing the post-Cabinet media briefing today, Minister Jayatissa said legal action can be initiated by any individual who feels that their rights have been violated due to a particular news report.

“If we get a complaint that conditions related to the broadcasting frequency licence have been violated, then the Ministry of Mass Media will initiate a probe. The action to be taken will be based on the incident, and may differ incident to incident,” he added. 

Minister Jayatissa made the remarks in response to a question raised regarding Minister K.D. Lal Kantha’s complaint with the Ministry of Mass Media against Hiru Media Network, alleging that the broadcaster published a false and misleading report regarding his assets declaration.

Responding to the query, Minister Jayatissa further acknowledged that the Media Ministry has also received a complaint about Hiru Media Network from the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) as well.

Aside from the complaint lodged with the Ministry of Mass Media, Minister Lal Kantha has submitted a complaint to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) alleging that Hiru Media Network, operated under Asia Broadcasting Corporation (Private) Limited, has violated conditions of its broadcasting frequency licence.

According to the complaint, Hiru Media Network has not only breached the terms of the licence issued by the Ministry of Mass Media but has also seriously violated the conditions attached to the frequency licence granted by the TRCSL. 

Minister Lal Kantha has requested the Commission to conduct a formal investigation into the matter.

The full letter submitted to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission is as follows;

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Minister K.D. Lal Kantha has lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Mass Media against Hiru TV, alleging the broadcaster published a false and misleading report regarding his assets declaration.

According to the complaint, the issue relates to a news report aired by Hiru TV based on the minister’s voluntarily submitted declaration of assets and liabilities for 2024/25 to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.

The minister stated that the report distorted facts and wrongly interpreted the contents of the declaration, claiming he owned assets worth more than Rs. 460 million.

He further alleged that the channel failed to seek clarification from him before broadcasting the report and later amplified the claims through social media and digital platforms.

Lal Kantha explained that under the Anti-Corruption Act No. 09 of 2023, declarations must include not only assets owned by the declarant, but also those belonging to a spouse and unmarried children living in the same household.

He said the declaration therefore included assets belonging to his wife and daughter, but the channel did not disclose this in its report.

The minister also alleged that shares purchased by his daughter in several companies — valued at around Rs. 90,000 at the time of purchase and currently worth around Rs. 143,000 — were intentionally misrepresented by the channel as securities worth nearly Rs. 380 million purchased by him.

The Minister said he has already sent a letter of demand through his lawyers seeking Rs. 10 billion in damages over the alleged defamation.

He maintained that the figures were intentionally exaggerated, particularly in relation to property and company shares registered under his daughter’s name.

“We have listened to all the insults with patience. When we take one step against them, they say it’s a mistake and ask for forgiveness,” he said, addressing an event in Anuradhapura.

There will be “no forgiveness,” but all legal avenues will be pursued, he added.

Although the channel later issued a follow-up report expressing regret and acknowledging an error in the asset calculation, the minister claimed it still incorrectly suggested that the shares belonged to him despite being informed in writing that they were owned by his daughter. (Newswire)

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Hiru Media Network says a strong response will be sent within the next 24 hours to the legal notice sent by Minister K.D. Lal Kantha.

Minister K.D. Lal Kantha had issued a legal notice against Asia Broadcasting Corporation (Private) Limited, accusing the local broadcaster of misrepresenting his 2025 assets and liabilities declaration and publishing defamatory content.

The notice, dated April 18, stated that Hiru Media Network aired a news segment on April 16 alleging the minister’s assets exceeded Rs. 460 million, citing details from his declaration.

The Minister said the figures were deliberately exaggerated and misinterpreted, particularly claims regarding property and company shares in his daughter’s name.

Thereafter, admitting an error in its earlier reporting on the declared assets of Minister K.D. Lal Kantha, Hiru Media Network, acknowledged that previously published figures were the result of a calculation mistake.

In a correction issued on Saturday, the channel said an earlier report had incorrectly stated that the minister’s securities were worth Rs. 383.9 million and that his total gross assets exceeded Rs. 460 million.

The outlet said the correct value of the declared securities should have been approximately Rs. 143,475, while the total gross value of the assets declared by K.D. Lal Kantha was around Rs. 80 million.

Issuing a notice today (20), the local broadcaster confirmed that it will respond to the legal notice issued by Minister Lal Kantha in this regard. 

The confirmation was made in a notice issued by Hiru Media Network, strongly denouncing an attempt to tarnish its reputation through the circulation of a forged letter on social media.

Deputy News Director Tharanga Dinusha Jayakody clarified that the document, which claimed Hiru had requested police protection, is entirely fabricated. 

“The letter circulating on social media is completely false. Hiru Media Network has not made any such request to the Inspector General of Police,” he said, in a statement.

Jayakody warned that legal action would be taken against those responsible for preparing and spreading the fake document. (Newswire)

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National People’s Power (NPP) MP Shantha Pathma Kumara has sent legal notices to local media institutions, Hiru and Derana, seeking Rs. 3 billion in compensation.

According to the legal notices sent to the two media companies, the compensation has been sought for damage caused to his reputation by what he describes as false, defamatory, and malicious reporting.

MP Shantha Pathma Kumara has demanded Rs. 1.5 billion from Hiru Media Network and Rs. 1.5 billion from Derana Media Network.

The notice states that the payment must be made within seven days from the date of the letter. 

It further warns that if the payment is not made, legal action will be taken without any prior notice to recover the amount along with statutory interest, legal costs, and other expenses. (Newswire)

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Sri Lanka Police says a letter has been sent to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) requesting necessary action against the Hiru Media Network for continuously broadcasting unverified and misleading news reports.

Speaking to Newswire, Police Media Spokesman, ASP F.U. Wootler, said that the TRC was informed of the findings revealed during the investigation into the matter.

Accordingly, the TRC, as the proper authority for issuing broadcasting licenses, has been requested through the letter to take appropriate future measures. 

The move comes amid a series of public clashes between the government and Hiru Media Network, with authorities repeatedly accusing the broadcaster of airing unverified and misleading reports. (Newswire)

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