President’s Counsel Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa has filed a defamation case in the Nugegoda District Court under Case No. 5575/2025 M, demanding a staggering Rs. 1,000 million in compensation for alleged insults and defamatory statements made against him. The claims center around an interview broadcast by journalists Chamuditha Samarawickrama and Keerthi Ratnayake, published on Chamuditha’s YouTube channel and shared widely across social media platforms.
The legal filing requests an injunction, interim order, permanent injunction, and directive relief against the defendants. On May 9, 2025, the Nugegoda District Judge, Hon. R.A.M. Rajapaksa, granted the plaintiff’s request after confirmation by President’s Counsel Ikram Mohamed.
The court has issued an injunction restraining both defendants Chamuditha Samarawickrama and Keerthi Ratnayake—from making any public reference to the plaintiff or his family members, whether directly or indirectly, through print, digital, electronic, or social media platforms until an interim injunction is formally issued.
According to the plaintiff, the contentious interview was conducted on or around April 30, 2025, and was used to spread accusations targeting the former minister and his son, Attorney-at-Law Rakhitha Rajapaksa. The lawsuit claims the broadcast portrayed them as perpetrators of serious crimes and corrupt activities.
Allegations extend even further, accusing Chamuditha Samarawickrama of conspiring, with police protection, to host discussions that manipulated participants into naming and insulting their adversaries. The plaintiff claims these discussions incited violence and even contributed to murders.
Three such killings are cited in the legal filing:
The first involves Public Health Inspector Rohana Kumara Withanage, murdered in Elpitiya in February 2024. He had allegedly made provocative statements in an interview, which led to his assassination by those he criticized.
The second case concerns Aruna Vidanagamage and his two children, who were murdered in Middeniya on February 18, 2025. The lawsuit claims the interview pushed Vidanagamage to issue challenges to an underworld group, which escalated to the triple murder.
The third is the killing of social activist Dan Priyasad on April 22, 2025. The lawsuit argues that an interview conducted with him included inflammatory content directed at rival criminals, creating the setting for his murder.
The plaintiff alleges that these interviews were financially backed by underworld elements who paid Chamuditha to stage and record provocative content. A formal request has been submitted to the Inspector General of Police to launch a full investigation into the financial and logistical background of these operations.
Additionally, the article highlights a separate case SC/Contempt/10/2024 filed earlier by Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa in the Supreme Court. This case accuses Chamuditha Samarawickrama of contempt for comments and allegations deemed to interfere with court proceedings.
President’s Counsel Ikram Mohamed appears for the plaintiff, supported by attorneys Harish, Shan Ratnasuriya, Harsha Liyanaguruge, Suraj Walgama, and Dasun Nagashena, under the legal guidance of Jayamudita Jayasuriya.
As the courtroom drama unfolds, the defamation suit threatens to expose the complex web of media manipulation, political rivalry, and alleged criminal ties that are sending shockwaves through Sri Lanka’s legal and political landscape.
