A case filed against Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera and another monk over a luxury residence in Bambalapitiya has been withdrawn after the monks expressed willingness to vacate the property and hand it back to its claimed heirs.
The matter was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Manjula Thilakaratne on 1 June, where lawyers appearing for the defendants informed court that the monks were prepared to leave the luxury residence and return it to the heirs.
Following the submissions, the aggrieved party informed court that there was no objection to withdrawing the complaint, after which permission was granted to withdraw the case.
According to the complaint, the aggrieved party claimed ownership of the property had been legally transferred through a power of attorney by a close relative residing in the United States. The complainant alleged that Gnanasara Thera and others had unlawfully obstructed access to the residence and prevented entry.
However, counsel for the defendants submitted that the property had been donated to Gnanasara Thera by a female devotee living overseas, with the intention of selling the apartment and using the proceeds to construct a stupa.
