Lal Kantha's asset is not 46 crores, it's 8. Sorry, we made a mistake - Hiru

Hiru TV channel has issued a corrective statement publicly expressing its regret to Agriculture Minister K.D. Lalkantha for broadcasting false information regarding his declaration of assets and liabilities.

This comes after a Letter of Demand was sent through the Minister's lawyer, seeking 10 billion rupees in compensation, claiming that his reputation was damaged by the inaccurate reporting.

The channel's initial reporting on the 16th was based on the Minister's asset declaration submitted to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption for the years 2024 and 2025. They have now admitted that a serious error occurred in their calculation of the value of the Minister's securities and the total gross value of his assets.

Due to that calculation error, the original news report stated that the total value of the Minister's securities was over 38.39 crore rupees, and his total gross assets exceeded 46 crore rupees. However, they have now announced through their special news broadcast that upon recalculation, the actual value of the said securities is Rs. 143,475.80, and the total gross value of the Minister's assets is approximately only 8 crore rupees.

The channel indicates that apart from the erroneous information, there was no mistake in reporting the other immovable properties contained in the asset declaration. Accordingly, these include a 2500 sq ft building and 10 perches of land valued at 60 lakhs rupees, obtained through gift deeds; a building and 20 perches of land valued at 25 lakhs rupees; and a 4500 sq ft building and 14 perches of land valued at 560 lakhs rupees. In addition, 2 roods and 7.26 perches of land valued at 25 lakhs rupees, received through inheritance, have also been correctly reported as immovable property.

It has also been confirmed that movable assets include 8 sovereigns of gold jewelry valued at 16 lakhs rupees, 120 grams of gold valued at 30 lakhs rupees, and a 2016 model motor vehicle valued at 45 lakhs rupees. Furthermore, it has been re-emphasized that the declaration states an annual salary income of Rs. 738,918.16, 4 lakhs rupees from property rentals, a pension of Rs. 771,400, fixed deposit interest of Rs. 2,755,851.97, and an annual income of 18 lakhs rupees from the current employment.

Hiru TV states that it took steps to broadcast the revised news report under the media's right to correct any information. Furthermore, the announcement states that they express their regret if the Minister experienced any inconvenience due to the calculation error made in the initial reporting.