Lanka E News: News Editor apologises to ANCL

When the defamation case filed against Lanka E News, its proprietor publisher and Editor D.P. Sandaruwan Senadheera and News Editor Benette Rupasinghe by Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd., (ANCL) was taken up for hearing before the Colombo District Court, the 3rd accused Benette Rupasinghe said the contents of the said item which is the subject matter of the case was erroneous and that he wished to come to a settlement with the petitioners by publishing an unqualified apology in the Dinamina, Divaina and Lankadeepa newspapers on June 23, 2013.

The judge granted his request and ordered that the case be continued against the 1st and second respondents Lanka E News and its proprietor, publisher and editor D.P. Sandaruwan Senadheera.

In this case, Associated News Papers of Ceylon Ltd had filed action against Lanka E News, D.P. Sandaruwan Senadheera and Benette Rupasinghe seeking damages for a news item tilted "Lake House Mahadena Mutta Saha Gong Golayange Aluthma Kathawa" in the Lanka E News website which they said was defamatory of the company and its Board of Management.

The apology published by the 3rd respondent Benette Rupasinghe said that he as the News Editor of Lanka E News wish to apologise, to the ANCL its Chairman and chief officials if the news item titled" Lake House Mahadena Muttha Saha Gong Golayange Aluthma Kathawa" caused any pain of mind or insult to them and defamed their good name.

Rupasinghe further said that he found that the said news item published in Lanka E News in all three languages to be false and incorrect when he studied the information provided by ANCL and the other available sources.