Minister of Social Service and Social Welfare, Douglas Devananda is claiming Rs 100 billion as damages from the Shakthi TV Channel and an unconditional apology for defamation caused to him by the telecast of a programme called ‘Minnel’ produced and conducted by Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam.
The letter of demand was sent by Devananda’s lawyer M. K. P. Chndralal pertaining to the Minnel programme telecast on December 30, 2007 involving the late Parliamentarian T. Maheswaran.
A press release issued by the Ministry of Social Service and Social Welfare, stated that in that programme conductor, Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam of the TV channel put forward questions to the late Parliamentarian to extract the desired accusations against the Minister and his party, the EPDP, to enable him to blame the Minister for the subsequent murder of the Parliamentarian. Many a time, the commentator had attempted to obtain answers from the Parliamentarian implicating the Minister and his party in the Human Rights violations in Jaffna.
The letter of demand also stated that Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam has been in the habit of making generalized wild accusations and defamatory statements against the Minister continuously blaming him on every Sunday in the ‘Minnel’ programme for the murders and disappearances of Tamil people.
The letter of demand stated that the Minister categorically denies involvement of members of his political party, namely the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) in the killings or violent activities that take place in the country.
The letter of demand was sent by Devananda’s lawyer M. K. P. Chndralal pertaining to the Minnel programme telecast on December 30, 2007 involving the late Parliamentarian T. Maheswaran.
A press release issued by the Ministry of Social Service and Social Welfare, stated that in that programme conductor, Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam of the TV channel put forward questions to the late Parliamentarian to extract the desired accusations against the Minister and his party, the EPDP, to enable him to blame the Minister for the subsequent murder of the Parliamentarian. Many a time, the commentator had attempted to obtain answers from the Parliamentarian implicating the Minister and his party in the Human Rights violations in Jaffna.
The letter of demand also stated that Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam has been in the habit of making generalized wild accusations and defamatory statements against the Minister continuously blaming him on every Sunday in the ‘Minnel’ programme for the murders and disappearances of Tamil people.
The letter of demand stated that the Minister categorically denies involvement of members of his political party, namely the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) in the killings or violent activities that take place in the country.
