The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) will formally consider a complaint filed by Agriculture Minister K.D. Lal Kantha against a local television channel, the commission’s Director General said on Thursday.
TRCSL Director General retired Air Vice Marshal Bandula Herath said the regulator would announce a final decision based on conclusions reached by the Ministry of Mass Media on the same matter.
Lal Kantha lodged the complaint on Wednesday evening, calling for an immediate investigation into the channel for what he described as continuous breaches of its operational licence and broadcast frequency licence conditions. The complaint alleges violations of terms issued by both the Mass Media Ministry and TRCSL.
The referral brings a second regulatory body into the ongoing dispute between the minister and broadcaster, which began after the channel aired disputed figures about his personal assets. Lal Kantha has previously served a Rs.10 billion damages notice and lodged a separate complaint with the Mass Media Ministry seeking licence review. The broadcaster earlier retracted the contested asset figures and rejected a separate fake-security-letter claim.
The TRCSL’s role in broadcasting disputes is limited to frequency licence compliance, distinct from the Mass Media Ministry’s remit over content and operational licences. A licence-level regulatory track now runs alongside the defamation notice and parliamentary ministry complaint.
