§ 67. Mr. de Rothschildasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the resolution of the State Council of Ceylon, that the "Times of Ceylon" should be penalised for criticising the Deputy-Speaker of the Council for his conduct in the chair by being deprived of all official statements and advertisements and by having its representatives excluded from the chamber; whether the terms of that resolution are being carried out; and whether he has any statement to make on the position?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreThe position is briefly as follows. On 24th January the "Times of Ceylon" published a leading article entitled "Deputy-Speaker's Apologia" which the State Council by resolution on 8th February declared libellous and decided to withdraw the general permission given to representatives of that newspaper under Standing Order 34 to attend its sittings until an apology is tendered. On 9th February two police inspectors acting on the order of the Speaker refused representatives admission to the Press Gallery, whereupon the newspaper's chief reporting officer filed a plaint of wrongful restraint under Section 330 of the Penal Code against both inspectors and against the Speaker as abetting. The police magistrate issued a summons on this plaint and the case will be taken on 16th February.