The Court of Appeal today ordered Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero to be imprisoned to serve the remaining period of his six-year prison sentence.
The decision follows the dismissal of his appeal against a prior conviction relating to contempt of court charges. Gnanasara Thero, the general secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), was originally sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment in August 2018 by the Court of Appeal after being found guilty of four counts of contempt of court. The charges stemmed from his disruptive behaviour inside the Homagama Magistrate’s Court premises in 2016 during a hearing regarding the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda.
Although he was granted a presidential pardon in May 2019 after serving nine months of his sentence, subsequent legal challenges were mounted against the validity and execution of the pardon. Following today’s court ruling, authorities ordered him into custody to resume serving his remaining term.
