Gnanasara Thera granted bail pending appeal of defamation sentence
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The Colombo High Court has ordered the release on bail of the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) organization, Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, who was sentenced to nine months of simple imprisonment for making defamatory comments about Islam.
The court issued this order after considering a revision petition filed by Gnanasara Thera’s attorneys, seeking bail pending the hearing of an appeal against the sentence and the final verdict.
On January 9, 2025, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court sentenced Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera to nine months of simple imprisonment for insulting the religion of Islam.
The verdict was delivered by Colombo Additional Magistrate Pasan Amarasena, who also imposed a fine of Rs. 1,500 on the defendant.
The police filed the case against Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera under Section 291 of the Penal Code, alleging that he violated ethnic harmony by stating, “Islam is a cancer… it must be eradicated,” during a press conference held in the Kirulapone area on July 16, 2016.
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