Sri Lanka Press Council vs K.T.Priyantha Jayalal, Chief Editor of Ethalaya Magazine – COC/0007/2018-2022

In the case between Sri Lanka Press Council and K.T. Priyantha Jayalal, Chief Editor of “Eethalaya” Magazine, the court addressed whether the Respondent was guilty of contempt of the Sri Lanka Press Council under Section 12(1)(c)(i) of the Press Council Act, arising from repeated failures to appear before the Council despite multiple complaints and purportedly validly issued summons. It was determined that contempt proceedings were not maintainable, as the Respondent had not been properly served with notice prior to the institution of proceedings. This judgment reaffirmed the legal principle that contempt applications require strict compliance with notice requirements and valid service as a precondition to proceedings. Reliance was placed on the procedural history, statutory interpretation