The Colombo High Court on Tuesday denied the bail request of Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero, the General Secretary of Bodu Bala Sen...
The Colombo High Court on Tuesday denied the bail request of Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero, the General Secretary of Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), who was recently sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment.
High Court Judge Aditya Patabendige announced the decision during a hearing where the defense attorneys had sought bail for their client. This decision comes after Judge Patabendige handed down the four-year sentence on March 28th, following Gnanasara Thero's defamatory remarks against Islam in 2016.
The BBS General Secretary was found guilty of making derogatory comments about Islam during a media briefing related to the Kuragala Buddhist monastery. These comments were deemed to have harmed national and religious harmony. The judge convicted Gnanasara Thero on two counts as per indictments filed by the Attorney General under the Penal Code. He was sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment for each count and fined Rs. 50,000 for each offense. The judge specified that the sentences would run consecutively.
If Gnanasara Thero fails to pay the imposed fines, his prison term will be extended by an additional two years. The case was initiated based on a complaint lodged by former MPs Mujibur Rahman and Azath Salley.
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