COLOMBO — The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has ruled that the presidential pardon granted to Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero by former President Maithripala Sirisena was arbitrary and invalid in law.
The ruling was delivered on September 10 by a three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Janak De Silva, following fundamental rights petitions filed by Sandhya Ekneligoda and the Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Gnanasara Thero was convicted of contempt of court in 2018 over his conduct during proceedings at the Homagama Magistrate’s Court relating to the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda.
The Court of Appeal sentenced him to 19 years of rigorous imprisonment to be served concurrently over six years. The Supreme Court later upheld the conviction in October 2018.
However, former President Sirisena granted Gnanasara Thero a presidential pardon in May 2019, resulting in his release from Welikada Prison on May 23.
The pardon was subsequently challenged by Sandhya Ekneligoda, the wife of missing journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda, and the Centre for Policy Alternatives.
The Supreme Court has now determined that the former President’s decision could not be upheld in law.
