Gnanasara Thero seeks a fresh presidential pardon from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake after the Supreme Court invalidated his 2019 pardon.
COLOMBO — Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero has appealed to senior Buddhist monks to ask President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to consider granting him a fresh presidential pardon through the proper constitutional procedure, days after the Supreme Court invalidated the pardon he received from former President Maithripala Sirisena in 2019.
Speaking at the launch of his book 9.5 Vikruthiya at the Sri Sambuddhatva Jayanthi Mandiraya in Colombo on Sunday, Gnanasara Thero said he would respect the law but questioned why he should bear the consequences if officials or the former President had failed to follow the required procedure when granting the earlier pardon.
The Supreme Court ruled on September 10 that Sirisena’s 2019 decision to pardon the monk was arbitrary and invalid in law. The pardon had released Gnanasara Thero from a prison sentence imposed following his conviction for contempt of court.
At Sunday’s event, the monk asked senior members of the Maha Sangha to intervene on his behalf and seek a fresh exercise of presidential clemency.
“If officials made a mistake in the procedure, why am I being punished? The current President can correct any mistake made in the process followed by former President Maithripala Sirisena,” he said.
Gnanasara Thero then appealed to the senior monks present to approach President Dissanayake and request that any fresh pardon be granted through the correct procedure.
Supreme Court invalidated 2019 pardon
Gnanasara Thero was convicted by the Court of Appeal in August 2018 on four counts of contempt of court arising from his conduct at the Homagama Magistrate’s Court in January 2016.
He was sentenced to a total of 19 years’ rigorous imprisonment, with the sentences ordered to run concurrently over six years.
Sirisena granted him a presidential pardon in May 2019, resulting in his release from Welikada Prison.
That decision was subsequently challenged through fundamental rights petitions, including those filed by Sandhya Ekneligoda, wife of missing journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda, and the Centre for Policy Alternatives.
On September 10, a three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Janak de Silva ruled that the pardon was arbitrary and invalid in law.
The Court found that the required legal and constitutional safeguards had not been properly followed when the former President exercised the power of clemency.
Its judgment also stressed that the presidential power to grant pardons is an exercise of executive authority derived from the sovereignty of the people and must therefore be exercised in the public interest rather than treated as a private act of presidential grace.
The ruling effectively nullified the 2019 pardon, creating uncertainty over the enforcement of the remainder of Gnanasara Thero’s sentence.
Gnanasara Thero Seeks Quick End to High Court Case
Gnanasara Thero court case returns to Colombo High Court as his lawyers seek a quick resolution through…
The Morning Telegraph • September 16, 2026‘I will bow to the law’
Addressing Sunday’s gathering, Gnanasara Thero said he accepted the authority of the law and was prepared to face whatever followed from the Supreme Court’s decision.
“I don’t know how my fate has been written. This is not a time when I am afraid. Everyone has a responsibility to respect the laws of the country. I will bow to the law. There is no argument about that,” he said.
His objection, he explained, concerned being required to bear the consequences of procedural failures that he maintains were committed by others.
Gnanasara Thero argued that if the previous pardon had been invalidated because the former President or officials failed to follow the proper procedure, President Dissanayake could consider exercising the constitutional power of clemency afresh through the legally required process.
His request does not itself result in a new pardon. Any fresh exercise of presidential clemency would be a separate presidential decision and would have to comply with the constitutional and procedural requirements governing that power.
Gnanasara speaks about his 87-year-old mother
The monk also spoke emotionally about the personal consequences of potentially returning to prison.
Although he said he was not afraid of imprisonment, Gnanasara Thero expressed concern about his 87-year-old mother and the uncertainty surrounding whether he would have another opportunity to see her.
“Sometimes we may meet again, and sometimes we may not. I have no sorrow about that,” he said.
He also expressed concern that his imprisonment could discourage younger Buddhist monks who become involved in issues concerning the country and the Buddha Sasana.
Gnanasara Thero rejected suggestions that his activities were conducted on behalf of politicians or political movements.
“We are not anyone’s followers. We are followers of the Buddha,” he told the gathering.
He maintained that the legal proceedings against him originated during the former Yahapalana administration rather than under the current Government.
The monk also thanked those who had supported him and sought forgiveness for mistakes he may have made.
Senior monks attend book launch
Among those attending the event were Most Ven. Emeritus Professor Kotapitiye Rahula Thero, Anunayake of the Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha, and Ven. Medagama Dhammananda Thero, Maha Lekhakadhikari of the Asgiriya Chapter.
Politicians, representatives of civil organisations and other invitees were also present.
The event marked the launch of Gnanasara Thero’s latest book, 9.5 Vikruthiya, which examines religious extremism and related ideological and security issues.
His request for a fresh pardon has now shifted attention to whether a formal application will be made to President Dissanayake and, if so, how the constitutional clemency process would proceed following the Supreme Court’s judgment invalidating the previous pardon.
No decision by President Dissanayake on Gnanasara Thero’s latest request had been publicly announced at the time of publication.
