Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara thera arrested

Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), has been arrested by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) at the Thiniyawala Aranya Senasanaya in Kalutara.

Sri Lanka Police said Gnanasara Thera was arrested in accordance with a court warrant directing that he be taken into custody and produced before the court.

The Court of Appeal had issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear before the court in proceedings connected to the enforcement of his prison sentence following the cancellation of his presidential pardon. The warrant was ordered to be executed through the Inspector General of Police.

Gnanasara Thera was convicted of contempt of court over his conduct at the Homagama Magistrate’s Court on January 25, 2016, during a hearing into the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda.

During the hearing, he addressed the court without permission, disrupted the proceedings and attempted to intimidate the magistrate and a State Counsel.

The Court of Appeal found him guilty of four counts of contempt of court on August 8, 2018. He was sentenced to four years, four years, six years and five years of rigorous imprisonment on the four counts, amounting to a total of 19 years.

However, the sentences were ordered to run concurrently, meaning at the same time. As a result, the effective prison term was six years, which was the longest individual sentence.

He was later released from prison on May 23, 2019, after then-President Maithripala Sirisena granted him a presidential pardon.

However, on September 10, 2026, the Supreme Court declared the presidential pardon invalid after considering fundamental rights petitions filed by several parties, including Sandya Eknaligoda, the wife of missing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda.

Following the Supreme Court ruling, proceedings were initiated to enforce the remaining prison sentence imposed on Gnanasara Thera.

Separately, the Colombo High Court issued another arrest warrant for Gnanasara Thera on September 30, 2026, after he failed to appear before the court in a case over an alleged statement insulting Islam.

On October 1, 2026, the Court of Appeal issued an open warrant for Gnanasara Thera after he failed to appear before the court for the second consecutive day in the contempt of court proceedings.