– The District Court of Kaduwela has issued an enjoining order against former MP Wimal Weerawansa on an application filed by Hayleys PLC over an alleged defamatory statement. In its plaint, Hayleys PLC, being one of the largest conglomerates in Sri Lanka, states that it has a reputation within Sri Lanka and internationally and, further, the Company’s board of directors consists of esteemed individuals in the country. It was further set out that Hayleys PLC had garnered immense goodwill within Sri Lanka as a household name and is operating in many sectors including automobiles, power, agriculture etc.

The plaintiff, in the plaint set out that against such a backdrop, the defendant, a former Parliamentarian, had on four separate occasions during the months of February, April and May 2026, through social media platforms and on a program aired by a private television directly and/or indirectly referred to Hayleys PLC and in a defamatory, untruthful and baseless manner made references to Hayleys PLC, Kingsbury PLC, Hayleys’ automobile arm, its Jetstar agency, logistics subsidiary, renewable energy subsidiaries, and Hayleys Retail which had recently branched into supermarkets.

Further, the plaintiff had set out that the defendant had either directly, by identifying the plaintiff by name, through its subsidiaries or by identifying the Co- Chairman or Chairman had identified the plaintiff company in the public domain and had repeatedly tarnished the reputation of the plaintiff company. The plaintiff, as per the plaint, had sent out a letter of demand to the defendant on or around 25th May 2026 and even after the receipt of the letter of demand, the defendant came on the television program and continuously further defamed the plaintiff in an untruthful manner by referring to and identifying the members of the Board of the plaintiff company and subsidiary companies of the plaintiff company. The plaintiff in such circumstances, as per the plaint, set out that irremediable harm and mischief will be caused to the plaintiff if the court does not grant an order preventing the defendant from further disseminating statements that are defamatory and untrue. In addition to the enjoining order, the plaintiff had sought cumulative damages from the defendant totalling to Rs. 6 billion for damage to the reputation of the plaintiff.

Being satisfied with the submissions and the pleadings, the District Court of Kaduwela issued the enjoining order against Wimal Weerawansa preventing him from further making or publishing the statements concerning the plaintiff which had been effected or from further making and publishing, disseminating, communicating to the public or otherwise conveying any false, misleading, defamatory statement relating to the plaintiff or any other defamatory statement concerning the plaintiff.

The natter is to be called before court on 23rd June 2026.

Counsel Nishan Sydney Premathiratne appeared with Shenali Dias and Ishara Jayakodiarachchi, instructed by Chanuka Ekanayake, appeared for the plaintiff.