Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, has sent Letters of Demand (LODs) seeking Rs. 1 billion each from the leader of the National Freedom Front, former MP Wimal Weerawansa, and a private television channel for making and broadcasting defamatory and false statements.

The Minister, through his attorney, issued these legal notices stating that a public statement was made implying that the Minister of Health and Mass Media had used a credit card belonging to the owner of a blacklisted pharmaceutical company to purchase goods worth approximately Rs. 1 million in India.

The notice points out that on or around February 6, 2026, former MP Wimal Weerawansa made these remarks during a public meeting attended by electronic, print, and online media. It further states that the relevant private channel broadcast this statement as a special news segment titled “Story of the Day” during its 6:50 PM news bulletin on February 7, 2026.

According to the LOD, the statement made by Wimal Weerawansa is entirely false and baseless. It is clearly evident that these remarks were made maliciously with the intent to damage the reputation and public trust held by Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa as the Minister of Health and Mass Media.

The notice further claims that the channel failed to clarify these allegations with the Minister before broadcasting, and the defamatory content has already been uploaded to the internet and various social media platforms.

Accordingly, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa has notified Wimal Weerawansa, Ben Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, and EAP Broadcasting Company Limited through his lawyer to pay Rs. 1 billion each as compensation for the damage caused to his reputation. Failure to do so will result in further legal action.