Gnanasara Thero sentenced to 4 years behind bars

Police personnel escort Buddhist monk Galagodaatte Gnanasara (2R) to prison at Colombo high court on March 29, 2024. A Sri Lankan court on March 29, sentenced an influential Buddhist monk to four years’ hard labour for fanning sectarian hatred against the island’s minority Muslim population. (Photo by AFP)

The General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), the Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero, has been sentenced to four years rigorous imprisonment for making defamatory comments against Islam in 2016.

The Colombo High Court found the monk guilty and sentenced him to jail and also imposed a Rs. 100,000 fine.

The controversial monk was accused of making defamatory comments against Islam during a media briefing in the year 2016.

The judge found the monk guilty of the two indictments filed by the Attorney General under the Penal Code.

Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero was sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment for each indictment and was imposed two fines of Rs. 50,000 each.

The defense attorney argued that Gnanasara Thero’s remarks were based on the situation that prevailed in the country at the time.

However, the court ruled that the monk made the statement deliberately

The court noted that the monk failed to fulfil his responsibility as a religious leader who is entrusted with maintaining the inter-faith harmony. (Colombo Gazette)