Minister Mervyn Silva has been accused of regularly attacking media stations and journalists

The Colombo magistrate acquitted Labour Minister Mervyn Silva after police informed the court that no charges will be filed against him.

The minister and three other suspects were accused of attacking a team from MTV-MBC (Sirasa) private television station.

Sirasa set on fire

When the case was taken for the hearing, counsels for the minister informed the court that a Fundamental Rights Petition filed in Supreme Court over the same incident has already been resolved.

Minister Mervyn Silva has agreed to pay Rs. 700,000 to Sirasa media station on compassionate grounds.

	The minister was assaulted as he stormed the SLRC

Dr. Mervyn Silva, who has constantly criticised Sirasa media station, has once called for the government to ban the station.

Few months later, the station was set on fire and equipment was destroyed by an armed group making a huge financial loss to the station.

Police have found a claymore bomb, a weapon only available to government security forces and LTTE in Sri Lanka.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who is in charge of police department, said the attack was an 'inside job'.

The police said the investigations are continuing.

Dr. Silva was assaulted by angry workers of the state run Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) after he stormed the SLRC with his supporters and assaulted a senior journalist.

Despite repeated pledges to investigate, no charges were filed against the minister.