Asia Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which operates Hiru TV, has formally rejected Minister K.D. Lal Kantha’s Rs. 10 billion letter of demand and signalled it will go on the offensive if the minister proceeds with litigation.
In a legal response dated April 21, ABC’s lawyers said the April 16 report on Lal Kantha’s asset declaration was published without malice and corrections were broadcast on April 18 across Hiru TV, radio, website, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube with equivalent prominence.
The corrections revised the reported total value of securities from Rs. 383.9 million to Rs. 143,475.08 — a reduction of roughly 99.96 percent — and the total gross value of assets from more than Rs. 466.4 million to just over Rs. 80 million. Inaccurate content was removed from the broadcaster’s platforms.
ABC denied any liability for compensation and said damages claims would be resisted. It further alleged that Lal Kantha’s own declaration under the Anti-Corruption Act contained errors and had not been filed in compliance with the law. If legal proceedings are initiated, the broadcaster said it would seek action against the minister for “deliberate violations of statutory provisions.”
The response also indicated ABC would raise allegations that the minister had been involved in “deliberate damage to public property and inciting violence against law-abiding citizens,” and would argue he “does not possess a reputation capable of being tarnished.”
The dispute began with Lal Kantha’s original Rs. 10 billion legal notice, followed by complaints to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission and Media Ministry and a broader media ministry investigation. ABC had earlier retracted the reported asset figures, but Wednesday’s response is the first time it has signalled plans to counter-sue.
