High Court confirms nine-month jail term for Gnanasara Thero
FILE PHOTO
The Colombo High Court today (June 23) upheld the nine-month prison sentence and Rs. 1,500 fine imposed on Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero for making statements deemed insulting to Islam and harmful to harmony between communities.
The judgment was delivered by Colombo High Court Judge Manjula Thilakaratne, who dismissed an appeal filed by Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero seeking to overturn his conviction, prison sentence, and fine.
The case was filed by the police under the Penal Code, alleging that during a media briefing held in the Kirulapone area in 2016, the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), Ven. Gnanasara Thero, made statements insulting Islam and acted in a manner that disrupted inter-ethnic and inter-religious harmony.
Following a trial, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court found him guilty of the charge and on January 9, 2025, sentenced him to nine months in prison and imposed a fine of Rs. 1,500.
Ven. Gnanasara Thero later filed an appeal before the Colombo High Court seeking to be acquitted and released from the sentence.
Delivering the verdict, Judge Manjula Thilakaratne stated that making statements in a manner that breaches religious harmony constitutes an unlawful act and that preventing such actions is a responsibility of both the law and the judicial process.
The judge further observed that the decision of the Colombo Additional Magistrate to convict and sentence the accused was not contrary to the law and accordingly dismissed the appeal.
With the High Court rejecting the appeal, the conviction, nine-month prison sentence, and Rs. 1,500 fine imposed by the Magistrate’s Court remain in effect.
