The Colombo High Court today (16) ordered that the case filed by the Attorney General against Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero be called again on September 30.
The case, relating to allegations that Gnanasara Thero made statements insulting Islam, was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Buddhika C. Ragala. Gnanasara Thero was present in court during today’s proceedings.
The case is linked to statements attributed to the BBS leader concerning Islam and their alleged impact on religious and communal harmony.
In a separate but related case, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court had previously found Gnanasara Thero guilty of disrupting communal harmony under the Penal Code over remarks made during a 2016 press conference in Kirulapone. He was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment and fined.
The Colombo High Court later dismissed his appeal against that conviction, upholding the lower court’s decision.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court subsequently ruled that a presidential pardon granted to Gnanasara Thero by former President Maithripala Sirisena in 2019 was legally invalid. The Supreme Court ordered that he serve the remainder of the sentence.
