On June 8, 2026, the Colombo District Court issued a restraining order against Wimal Weerawansa, a former Minister and current Member of Parliament, following a request filed by The Kingsbury PLC. The Kingsbury PLC, noted for being one of Sri Lanka’s leading luxury hotels, highlighted its esteemed status in the hospitality sector in Colombo, both locally and internationally. The complaint detailed the hotel’s long history, tracing its origins back to the early 1970s when it first opened as the Ceylon Inter-Continental, marking the introduction of Colombo’s first five-star hotel. After undergoing significant renovations, it was rebranded as The Kingsbury in January 2013. The reputation and goodwill associated with The Kingsbury are considered vital commercial assets for the company.
In its legal filing, The Kingsbury PLC accused Wimal Weerawansa of making defamatory remarks about the company through various social media channels around February 2026. The allegations stated that Weerawansa explicitly or implicitly referenced The Kingsbury PLC, which purportedly resulted in damage to the company’s reputation. Notably, he is said to have shared a video containing these statements on multiple social media platforms, exacerbating the harm to The Kingsbury’s image.
After Weerawansa did not respond to a Letter of Demand from The Kingsbury PLC, which sought 1 billion Rupees in damages and requested an end to his alleged defamatory actions, the company took legal action. The Honourable District Judge of Colombo granted an Enjoining Order, prohibiting Weerawansa from republishing, broadcasting, or disseminating the video in question.
The court is scheduled to hear the case again on June 22, 2026.
The plaintiff, The Kingsbury PLC, was represented by Mr. M. A. Sumanthiran, President’s Counsel, along with Mr. Lakshmanan Jeyakumar and Ms. Gayani Wickramarathne, both Attorneys-at-Law, under the guidance of Mr. R. Moahan Balendra, also an Attorney-at-Law.
Source: Financial Chronicle Biz English | Sri Lanka Business News.
