High Court confirms nine-month jail term for Gnanasara Thero
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The Colombo High Court today (June 23) upheld the nine-month prison sentence 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 both his conviction and sentence.
The case was filed by the police under the Penal Code, alleging that during a media briefing held in the Kirulapone area in 2016, 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 sentenced him to nine months in prison.
With the High Court rejecting the appeal, the conviction and nine-month prison sentence imposed by the Magistrate’s Court remain in effect.
