The Leader Holdings (Private) Limited, the publisher of the Sunday Leader, has run into a fresh crisis with the company sacking Wimalanath Weeraratne, the Editor of its Sinhala paper 'Irudina', with immediate effect. 

Journalist Sujith Mangala de Silva has been appointed as the new editor of the Irudina paper. 

In protest of the decision, the journalists attached to the paper refrained from discharging their duties. The decision was conveyed by the journalists to the management in writing. 

They claimed that the sacking of the editor was illegal and had been done without following the due process.  

The management responded strongly to their demand by banning six journalists from entering the newspaper company premises. The six journalists included Kasun Pussewela, Shalika wimalasena, Dilhan Wimalka, Ravindra Pushpakumara and two others. 

The journalists have already lodged complaints with the Mount Lavinia Police station, the Human Rights Commission and the Labour Department against the ban. 

The company was formed by journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge and his brother Lal Wickrematunge in 1994. 

After Wickrematunge's death, businessman Asanga Seneviratne, a close ally of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's family, bought the company. 

It was revealed that after the new government's rise to power, a controversial businessman affiliated with the UNP pumped money into the company.