Lankaenews website editor Sandaruwan Senadheera was yesterday noticed to appear before the Supreme Court on March 3 for allegedly publishing defamatory articles which appeared in Lankaenews defaming the judges from the Apex Court to the Magistrate’s Court casting aspersions on their character.
The Supreme Court three-judge-bench comprising Justice Priyasath Dep, Justice Priyantha Jayawardena and Justice Nalin Perera made this order persuent to 14 complaints filed by a lawyer.
These 14 complaints had been filed by former Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Municipal Council Deputy Mayor, Attorney-at-Law Madura Vithanage complaining that there had been a series of articles published that appeared in the social media web site/face book named “Lankaenews” in which the judges and the Judicial Institutions had been critically ridiculed and intimidated and on certain instances there had been scathing attacks on judges commencing from Magistrates to the Chief Justice.
The complainant stated that through the contents of the said articles the web site / face book owner/operator has insulted, defamed, and ridiculed the judges whose names are withheld therein and there is direct and indirect intimidation of judges as well as the judiciary as a whole. In his petitions, the petitioners cited lankaenews editor Sandaruwan Senadheera as the accused and the Attorney General and the President of Bar Association of Sri Lanka as respondents.
The petitioner is requesting the Court to charge the accused on the offence of contempt of the Supreme Court under Article 105(3) of the constitution of the Republic of Sri Lanka and grant an order restraining the accused preventing him from publishing further Contemptuous statements/articles scandalizing the judges or any judicial institution including the Supreme Court and the Judicial Services Commission until the conclusion of this case. “These articles have attacked on both the judicial conduct as well as the private lives of the judges and caused embarrassment not only to the judges but also to the entire judiciary”, the complainant said. The complainant stated that “Lankaenews” is a web site owned and maintained by Sandaruwan Senadheera from London, United Kingdom.
He further stated that the contents in the said articles are derogatory of the judiciary and the judges and tantamount to contempt of court punishable under law.
President’s Counsel Hemantha Warnakulasuriya appeared for the petitioner. Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Rajaratnam appeared for the Attorney General.
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