Gairuka to pay ITN

Sandasen Marasinghe

Colombo District Judge Sampath Wijeratne yesterday ordered former UNP spokesman Gairuka Perusinghe to pay four days' legal cost to the Independent Television Network (ITN) in respect of a plaint filed by him against ITN.

The Court observed that the hearing had been postponed on four days based on Perusinghe's actions and ordered him to pay Rs. 20,000 to the ITN as legal cost. Perusinghe filed a plaint before the District Court against four including ITN claiming that a news in the 7.00 p.m. news telecast in the ITN on April 12, 2004 was defaming him.

He cited ITN, former Chairman of the ITN Newton Gunaratne, Sudharman Radaliyagoda and Mahinda Abeysundara as respondents.

At the outset, plaintiff had made a request from Court to make a correction in the plaint and the Court had allowed this although ITN objected. The hearing of the case had been postponed on four occasions.