by Our Correspondent in Colombo
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reacted angrily after learning that Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera had been stripped of his Buddhist robes and brought before court in prison attire, according to multiple government sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. The sources said the decision was first brought to the attention of Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, who approved the course of action before the President was informed only after the monk appeared in court wearing prison attire.
According to the sources, Dissanayake strongly disagreed with the decision and warned the minister about its possible social consequences. The minister subsequently sought to reverse the decision, but, according to the same accounts, the President told him to continue with the position already taken, saying there was no longer a practical way to reverse what had happened.
The claims about the internal government discussion have not been publicly confirmed by the President or the Justice Ministry. They come as the dispute over Gnanasara Thera’s treatment in prison has rapidly widened into a confrontation between prison authorities and senior Buddhist clergy.
The Department of Prisons has maintained that the monk’s prison attire was determined by prison regulations rather than by a decision to alter his religious status. Commissioner of Prisons and media spokesman Senaka Pallethenna said Buddhist monks serving simple imprisonment could retain their robes, but prisoners sentenced to rigorous imprisonment were required to wear prison attire. He also said prisoners sentenced to more than three years had to be produced before court in attire issued by the Prisons Department.
Cabinet spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa said the authorities had followed the Prisons Ordinance and that no special procedure had been applied to Gnanasara Thera. He said 63 Buddhist monks were currently serving prison sentences and that the same procedure had been followed in their cases.
Senior Buddhist authorities, however, have rejected the suggestion that prison officials can determine whether an ordained monk should remain in robes. Ven. Kotapitiye Rahula Anunayake Thera of the Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha wrote to the Commissioner General of Prisons requesting that Gnanasara Thera be allowed to retain his robes. He stressed that the Sangha Sabha did not challenge the court judgment and respected judicial authority, but argued that authority over a monk’s robes belonged to the Sangha.
The Asgiri Chapter has also entered the dispute, questioning whether the procedure used by prison officials complied with the Prisons Ordinance. Most Ven. Medagama Dhammananda Thera said the Chapter respected the court’s verdict but was examining the legal basis for removing the robes and considering further action, including possible re-ordination if necessary.
The controversy has triggered an open social and religious backlash, with a protest over the removal of the robes scheduled at the Colombo Court Complex on 7 October.
Gnanasara Thera is serving the remainder of a six-year sentence for contempt of court after the Supreme Court annulled a presidential pardon previously granted to him. The Court of Appeal subsequently ordered enforcement of the remaining sentence.
In a separate case involving alleged statements insulting Islam, his next court hearing has been fixed for 23 October.
