By Lakmal Sooriyagoda   

The Colombo District Court yesterday issued an enjoining order preventing Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara from circulating defamatory statements against Parliamentarian Velu Kumar on social media and other public platforms.  

Colombo District Court Judge Sandun Vithana issued the order following a lawsuit filed by SJB Parliamentarian Velu Kumar, who recently pledged his support to President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the upcoming Presidential election. 

This enjoining order will be effective till September 19.  

Velu Kumar alleges that on August 17, 2024, the defendant Jayasekara, made a public statement during an SJB Presidential campaign meeting held in Akuressa, accusing the plaintiff of being involved in bar permits and labelling him as corrupt.  

The plaintiff claims that the statement is inherently defamatory and was intended to damage his reputation.  

He further states that the defamatory statement was made by Jayasekara in public and subsequently circulated across various social media platforms, news outlets and television programmes with the malicious intent of subjecting him to public disrepute, ridicule, hatred and contempt.  

In his lawsuit, Velu Kumar is seeking Rs. 500 million in damages from Dayasiri Jayasekara.  

Counsel N.R. Sivendran with T. Sivanandaraja, Janani Karunanayake, Fihama Hanifa instructed by S.Anushiya appeared for the plaintiff.