Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali on yesterday (28 April) granted permission to the Cyber Crime and Intelligence Division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to obtain information on six social media accounts accused of spreading false and defamatory content against the Court of Appeal and Justice Balendra Shashi Mahendran.

The decision follows a formal complaint lodged by Justice Mahendran regarding a wave of misleading and damaging posts on social media platforms. The posts falsely claimed that Justice Mahendran had played a role in acquitting former MP Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan (alias Pillayan) in the high-profile assassination case of MP Joseph Pararajasingham. The judge clarified in his complaint that he had never been involved in any judicial proceedings related to the case.

Further, the defamatory posts included official photographs of Justice Mahendran in his judicial attire and made additional false claims about his personal life. He requested a full investigation into the matter by the CID.

In court, CID officers stated that the Appeal Court Registrar had officially confirmed that Justice Mahendran was never part of any bench that heard the Pillayan case. They argued that the false content not only sought to discredit the judge personally but also aimed to undermine public trust in the judiciary as a whole.

The CID also noted that the misinformation attempts to bring the entire legal system into disrepute, and said the investigation is being carried out under powers vested in them by Section 124 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act No. 15 of 1979.