News
CP cautions NPP govt. over handling of Ven. Gnanasara case
The Communist Party of Sri Lanka has cautioned the NPP government regarding how it handled the case involving Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara, General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS). Declaring that an unpleasant situation has arisen, following the arrest and imprisonment of Ven. Thera, General Secretary of CPSL, Dr. G. Weerasinghe, has issued the following statement: ” Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera was arrested while residing at a forest hermitage, following the court’s revocation of the Presidential Pardon he had previously received. Subsequently, he was returned to prison custody.
Upon his re-imprisonment, a statement was issued by the prison authorities confirming that Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera would be required to wear the standard prison-issue uniform (colloquially, ‘jampara’) while incarcerated.
A key issue arises at this point.
Although the prison authorities did not issue a formal statement declaring that a person taken into custody would be required to wear the standard prison uniform (jumper), reports circulated widely across mainstream media indicating that Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera would, indeed, have to wear it. What was the objective behind the prison authorities making such a specific disclosure? Was it intended to humiliate the Thera?
The Founding President of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, Ven. Udakendawala Saranankara Thera, was sentenced to imprisonment on June 30, 1942, during the era of British colonialists, after addressing a meeting in Galle that opposed the war. Upon being brought to Galle Prison, following his sentencing, he refused to comply with an order from the officers to remove his monastic robes. He informed the British officers that, since it was the Chief Prelate who had ordained him and bestowed the robes upon him, both that prelate and the Minister of Home Affairs, D.B. Jayatilaka, should be summoned to the location. In the end, the British accepted defeat. Consequently, Rev. Thera spent the duration of his sentence, within the prison, while continuing to wear his robes.
We do not intend to draw a comparison between the incident involving Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera and the events experienced by Ven. Udakandawala Saranankara Thera in 1942.
However, following his imprisonment, Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera was brought to court on two occasions wearing the standard uniform of an ordinary prisoner. These scenes caused considerable shock among many in the country and raised the question of whether the authorities were truly mindful of the sentiments of the majority of the people. It appears that the authorities engaged in performative behaviour from the very outset.
The Communist Party of Sri Lanka points out that this conduct is pushing the entire country toward a state of risk. To echo former Lord Chief Justice of England, Lord Hewart, “justice must not only be done, but seen to be done”. The government’s responsibility extends beyond merely spouting propaganda – such as claiming they are acting in the country’s best interest or asserting that racism will not be allowed to rear its head again. Instead, they must act responsibly by refraining from conduct that undermines ethnic and religious harmony within the country.”
… reminds AKD led over 560 protests during Yahapalanaya
Former Yahapalana Minister and United Republican Front (URF) leader Patali Champika Ranawaka yesterday (19) alleged that the JVP, which carried out over 560 protests during the 2015-2019 period, was now bent on preventing the Opposition from exercising its democratic right to protest.
Recalling the declaration made by the JVP at the height of the violent protest campaign in July 2022 that it would set the Parliament ablaze, the former parliamentarian lashed out at the JVP-led administration for using the police excessively to curb political opposition. Ranawaka said this while addressing the media at the former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Flower Road Office .
Commenting on the protest campaign launched by the Maha Sangha, demanding presidential pardon for General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) Ven. Galagotaatte Gnanasara, the ex-Colombo District lawmaker alleged that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake used a combination of police, investigative units and JVP cadres to break up the monks’ protest. The government went to the extent of compelling the JVP/NPP-run Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) to deprive the peaceful protesters of basic toilet facilities, he alleged.
The government’s actions proved that only those with prior approval from JVP Pelawatte headquarters could launch protests in Colombo, its suburbs or in the provinces. The police have become a political tool in the hands of the JVP, the ex-Minister said. (SF)
By SK Samaranayake
Six people were killed and seven others injured when a speeding bulker lorry carrying cement and concrete ploughed into several vehicles and a shop on the Kandy-Jaffna A9 road at Kurugoda, Akurana, yesterday (19).
Four of the victims, two women and two men, died on the spot in the accident which occurred around 10.30 am, according to Alawathugoda Police.
Police said the bulker, travelling at high speed from the Matale direction, collided with three three-wheelers, two motorcycles and two lorries before veering off the road and crashing into a commercial establishment.
Five of the injured were rushed to the National Hospital of Kandy, where hospital sources said two remained in critical condition.
The bodies of the four victims were placed at the Akurana Hospital, where two others, who suffered minor injuries, were also receiving treatment.
The driver of the bulker was arrested by the Alawathugoda Police Traffic Division and is to be produced before court.
Investigations are being conducted under the supervision of Central Province Senior DIG Lalith Pathinayake.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
owledging that there had been an administrative lapse on the part of the President’s Office in 2019 when Maithripala Sirisena granted presidential pardon to Ven. Gnanasara Thera, Convener of Janathawadi Joint Opposition Prof. G.L. Peiris yesterday (19) urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to rectify whatever those shortcomings and release the General Secretary of Bodu Bala Sena.
Addressing the media at the former President Ranil Wickrekmesinghe’s Flower Road Office, Prof. Peiris emphasized that it was not fair to hold Ven. Gnanasara accountable for lapse or technical fault of others at the Presidential Secretariat during President Sirisena’s tenure.
Prof. Peiris was flanked by UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena and United Republican Front (URF) leader Patali Champika Ranawaka.
The fresh appeal was made on behalf of Ven. Gnanasara in the wake of President Dissanayake and JVP heavyweight Anura Kumara Dissanayake ruling out fresh presidential pardon for the monk. Minister Lal Kantha declared that the government couldn’t under any circumstances meet the continuing monks’ protest demanding Ven. Gnanasara’s release. President Dissanayake dismissed repeated appeals for Ven. Gnanasara’s release when he addressed the NPP really in Badulla.
Sirisena granted presidential pardon in May 2019 even before he completed a year of his six-year term of rigorous imprisonment for contempt of court during proceedings of the media personality Prageeth Ekneligoda’s 2010 January disappearance in the Homagama Magistrate’s court.
At the onset of the regular weekly briefing, Prof. Peiris said that he would report to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) today (20) morning as requested by the commission. “The CIABOC wanted to record my statement regarding a meeting I chaired at the ministry after the conclusion of the war in 2009 pertaining to an ongoing investigation.”
Commenting further on the imprisonment of Ven. Gnanasara, the former parliamentarian said that President Sirisena intervened following a spate of requests made on behalf of BBS General Secretary by the Mahanayakes, Anunayakes and other Maha Sangha.
The Supreme Court on 10 September, 2026 rescinded the presidential pardon granted in late May 2019.
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Prof. Peiris, summoned by CIABOC, appeals for Ven. Gnanasara’s release
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