Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd and Another vs. Brigadier Wijesekera – sllr 2014 volume 1 page 001

Brief
In the case between Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd and Another (Plaintiff) and Brigadier Wijesekera (Defendant), the court addressed the issue of whether the publication of a newspaper article defamed the plaintiff by injuring his reputation. It was held that the publication was defamatory, published with malice, and the defenses of justification, fair comment, and qualified privilege did not succeed. The principle reaffirmed was that defamatory meaning must be assessed by the standard of the reasonable person, with presumptions of malice arising unless valid defences are established. The decision relied on legal principles from “The Law of Delict,” “Defamation and Other Aspects of the Actio injuriarum,” and precedent regarding defamation, confirming that an unfounded and injuri