Galanagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, who was subject to an outstanding court warrant, has been arrested by police in the Thiniyawala area, according to reports.
An open warrant had been issued by the court for the arrest of the monk. The arrest follows a recent Supreme Court decision that invalidated a presidential pardon granted to Gnanasara Thera by former president Maithripala Sirisena.
Gnanasara Thera had been serving a prison sentence after being convicted of contempt of court. The sentence had been interrupted by the presidential pardon granted by Sirisena while he was president.
The Supreme Court subsequently ruled the pardon invalid, removing the legal effect of the decision that had allowed the monk to leave prison. The latest arrest was carried out after the court warrant remained in force.
The case concerns the legal consequences of the contempt-of-court conviction and the subsequent presidential intervention. The Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate the pardon preceded the police action reported in Thiniyawala.
Police arrested the monk in the area while an open warrant was in place for his detention. The source does not provide further details on the circumstances of the arrest or the specific location to which he was taken following his detention.
Gnanasara Thera has been a prominent Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka and had been imprisoned over the contempt-of-court case before receiving the presidential pardon from Sirisena. The Supreme Court’s ruling has now resulted in the pardon being rendered void.
The arrest therefore follows a sequence involving the original court conviction, the prison sentence, the presidential pardon and the subsequent Supreme Court ruling overturning that pardon. The court had issued the open warrant to secure the monk’s arrest, and police subsequently took him into custody in the Thiniyawala area.
