– Popular actor Hemal Ranasinghe, who admitted to charges over the assault and criminal intimidation of film critic Lakmina Ranasinghe, was released after the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court accepted a settlement reached between the two parties today.Hemal Ranasinghe apologized to Lakmina Ranasinghe and agreed to pay Rs. 500,000 as compensation. The court was informed that the compensation would be donated to the Maharagama Cancer Hospital and that the receipt would subsequently be produced before court.The Magistrate also warned the actor not to engage in or allow any further conduct that could insult or defame the aggrieved party.

The Magistrate observed that publishing social media posts concerning a pending court case in a manner prejudicial to the aggrieved party was completely inappropriate. The Magistrate further cautioned the accused that he should ensure that such conduct is not repeated by him or by his friends.The Magistrate also told Hemal Ranasinghe that assaults should only be in films and dramas and that the law does not permit such conduct in real life.

The case was filed over an incident in which Hemal Ranasinghe allegedly assaulted and criminally intimidated film critic Lakmina Ranasinghe at the Havelock City cinema complex on January 8, 2026, following the premiere of the film Faad.Appearing for the complainant, Counsel Ajith Pathirana told court that a main condition of the settlement was that no insult or defamation should be directed at the aggrieved party.“Your Honour, one of the main conditions of the settlement is that no insult or defamation should be made against the aggrieved party. However, that condition is being seriously violated,” he submitted.

He said the accused had committed an offence, admitted it and apologized, while the compensation had been agreed upon due to the assault.Counsel further informed court that his client intended to donate the Rs. 500,000 compensation to the Maharagama Cancer Hospital.However, he alleged that several posts had been published on digital and social media platforms in a manner prejudicial to his client and concerning the pending case.Counsel alleged that several individuals from the entertainment industry, including a person described as a close friend of the accused and a director, had published such posts while appearing in photographs with the accused.“Regardless of how popular someone is, discipline is very important. Discipline must come before talent. The absence of discipline is a very serious matter,” Counsel Pathirana submitted.The complainant’s counsel also handed over several copies of Facebook and other digital posts to the Magistrate, claiming that they justified the alleged assault on Lakmina Ranasinghe and contained statements defamatory of him.

The Magistrate examined the documents and gave them serious consideration.Defense counsel strongly objected to the submissions, stating that his client had no knowledge of the posts published by other individuals.

“Your Honour, my client knows nothing about these posts. It is wrong to accuse my client over what other people post on Facebook. My client is a popular actor and many people take photographs with him. Just because someone puts an arm around him and takes a photograph does not mean that person is my client’s friend,” defense counsel submitted.

The complainant’s counsel further submitted that the settlement contained conditions preventing the accused from interfering in any manner with his client’s freedom of expression.Defense counsel denied that his client had interfered with Lakmina Ranasinghe’s freedom of expression.

Responding to this, Counsel Pathirana said the alleged assault itself had interfered with his client’s freedom of expression.“How can you say that? The assault itself has interfered with my client’s freedom of expression. That is why this case was filed. Just because someone is an actor does not mean he can assault people,” he submitted.The parties had previously been referred to the Mediation Board following an order made by the Magistrate at the hearing on May 14.At the initial stage of the case, Hemal Ranasinghe had pleaded not guilty and denied having assaulted Lakmina Ranasinghe.

Subsequently, after both parties expressed their willingness to settle the matter, the accused admitted the charges and the parties reached a settlement subject to several conditions.According to the complaint, the alleged assault took place after the premiere of Faad at the Havelock City cinema complex.It was alleged that Hemal Ranasinghe assaulted Lakmina Ranasinghe on his head, neck, shoulder and back in the presence of several persons from the entertainment industry.The alleged assault was said to have arisen over a review written by Lakmina Ranasinghe concerning the film Maria, in which he had not mentioned Hemal Ranasinghe or published a photograph of the actor alongside the review.According to the statement given by Lakmina Ranasinghe to police, actress Chandani Seneviratne and Dilan Senanayake had witnessed the alleged assault. It was further stated that Chandani Seneviratne had attempted to intervene and stop the alleged assault.Shortly after the incident, Lakmina Ranasinghe lodged a complaint with the Wellawatte Police.

Following police intervention, he was admitted to the Kalubowila Hospital for treatment and received inpatient treatment under medical supervision.The Wellawatte Police subsequently made several requests for Hemal Ranasinghe to appear and provide a statement regarding the incident. However, he allegedly failed to appear for nearly a month.Following several notifications, Hemal Ranasinghe appeared before the police through a lawyer on February 3, 2026, and was arrested on the same day.He was subsequently produced before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court, where he pleaded not guilty.His lawyers informed court that he had not received the police messages because his mobile phone had been misplaced. They also stated that a complaint had been lodged with police regarding the missing telephone.

The Magistrate permitted the case to proceed and released Hemal Ranasinghe on a surety bail of Rs. 100,000.The police also recorded a statement from Chandani Seneviratne as an eyewitness to the alleged assault.At the hearing on May 14, President’s Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma, appearing for Hemal Ranasinghe, submitted that the incident was a minor dispute between friends.The Wellawatte Police subsequently issued notice to the defense regarding the production of a CD containing clear CCTV footage of the alleged assault as evidence at a future hearing.Following the issuance of the notice, President’s Counsel Kumarapperuma submitted that the matter could be resolved through the Mediation Board.

Senior Counsel Ajith Pathirana, appearing for Lakmina Ranasinghe, maintained that the incident was not a simple assault and submitted that the medical evidence, CCTV footage and eyewitness testimony were consistent with each other.The matter was subsequently referred to the Mediation Board.At the mediation proceedings, Hemal Ranasinghe fully admitted to the offences relating to the alleged assault and criminal intimidation, apologized to Lakmina Ranasinghe and agreed to pay Rs. 500,000 as compensation.

The Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court today accepted the settlement reached between the parties and ordered the release of Hemal Ranasinghe.