This morning, the Court of Appeal granted bail to Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero, who was previously sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment for defamatory comments made against Islam in 2016.

The decision followed a revision petition filed by Gnanasara Thero, who was found guilty by the Colombo High Court on March 28, 2024. The court had imposed a fine of Rs. 100,000 in addition to the prison sentence, citing the monk's statements during a 2016 media briefing on the Kuragala Buddhist monastery as harmful to national and religious harmony.

Gnanasara Thero was sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment for each of the two indictments filed by the Attorney General under the Penal Code, with the sentences to be served separately. The court also ruled that his prison term would be extended by two years if the fines were not paid.