By Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galaboda Atte Gnanasara Thera has been sentenced to four-year-rigorous imprisonment.
The controversial Buddhist priest was charged for making a hate speech against the Islamic religion on Kuragala Temple.
Colombo High Court Judge Adithya Patabendige further ordered Gnanasara Thera to pay a fine of Rs.100,000 for making hate speech on Kuragala Temple during a press conference held in Colombo.
The Attorney General had filed indictment against Gnanasara Thera for making a deliberate and malicious statement between November 1, 2016 and December 16, 2016 at Kirulapone, which intended to outrage Islamic religious feelings, by insulting Islamic religious beliefs.
On October 5, 2018, the Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeal judgment that found Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Atte GnanasaraThera was guilty of contemptuous behaviour inside the Homagama Magistrate’s Court on January 25, 2016.
In August 2018, Gnanasara Thera was sentenced to 19-year-rigorous imprisonment, to be served concurrently within 6 years by the Court of Appeal over his contemptuous behaviour inside the Homagama Magistrate’s Court.He later received presidential pardon from Maithripala Sirisena which has now been challenged.
Kuragala
Kuragala is a pre-historic archaeological site consisting of an early human settlement during the late Pleistocene period and ruins of ancient Buddhist Cave temple complex, dating back to the 2nd century BC, in Balangoda, Sri Lanka. The temple complex is located on the Balangoda – Kaltota road 24 km (15 mi) distance from the Balangoda town. The site has been formally recognised by the Government as an archaeological reserve in Sri Lanka. Kuragala is considered as the oldest archaeological site found in the Intermediate Zone. A muslim community has been living for a long time in the suroundings of the Kuragala tempale complex .
