Old case files, including Lasantha and Eknaligoda cases, to be fully reinvestigated: Deputy Minister Kaushalya
03-Jul-2026.
Deputy Minister of Mass Media Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathna has said that all major criminal cases that were allegedly covered up in the past, including the murder of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge and the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, will be reopened for comprehensive investigations.
He made these remarks during an exclusive interview with a media institution.
He said the cases relating to the late journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge and Prageeth Eknaligoda are now being heard before newly established courts on a day-to-day basis. He noted that many such cases had been suppressed in the past, while investigations existed only in name.
According to the Deputy Minister, several political leaders came to power after promising justice for these cases, but none of those promises were fulfilled.
He further stated that when the Good Governance Government came to power in 2015, it had received a strong public mandate to ensure justice. That mandate, he said, was largely due to widespread public anger and dissatisfaction with the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration, which remained in office until 2015. He alleged that the previous administration functioned in a repressive manner and that people were even killed in public.
The Deputy Minister questioned whether organisations that speak for media freedom had forgotten that period, when journalists were murdered in broad daylight, some fled the country, others were assaulted, and several were abducted in white vans. He said the Good Governance Government had the strongest opportunity to deliver justice but failed to do so and instead continued along the same path.
He also said the previous government had a strong mandate to introduce a new Constitution but failed to achieve that objective. As a result, many opportunities for major legal reforms and positive changes were lost.
Dr. Ariyarathna acknowledged that investigating crimes committed many years ago is not an easy task, but assured that justice would be delivered.
