Author: TELO Admin

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has questioned the practice of political power being passed from father to son, calling for a major transformation of Sri Lanka’s political culture.

“Some thought that when the father becomes President, the son should also become President. We need to change that,” the President said while addressing a public rally in Kahatagasdigiliya today (13).

He said the government was not facing any threat and had no reason to fear, rejecting suggestions that rallies were being organised because of concerns over the government’s stability.

“Do we have threats? Is that why we are holding rallies? No. This government has no threats. We are not scared,” the President stated.

President Dissanayake said a strong public movement was necessary to rebuild the country and called for fundamental changes to the country’s political, social and economic systems.

“We need to rebuild the country and change the political culture. We need a political transformation. We need major changes in society, the economy and politics,” he said.

Criticising the political practices of the past, he said politicians had previously been treated as being above the general public.

President Dissanayake also highlighted changes made by the NPP government since September 2024, saying it had begun dismantling what he described as outdated political practices and privileges.

He cited changes to the security arrangements surrounding politicians, saying large convoys that once accompanied politicians on visits to villages were no longer the norm.

“Now the police are there only for the protection of the public,” he said.

The President said the government had taken steps to move the country in a new direction and change what he described as the old political culture.

Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero was not at his temple in Rajagiriya when prison officials visited the premises yesterday to take steps following the Supreme Court ruling that nullified the presidential pardon granted to him, police sources said.

Prison officials who visited the temple on Nawala Road, Rajagiriya, were reportedly informed by those present that the Thero’s whereabouts were unknown. The development comes a day after the Supreme Court declared former President Maithripala Sirisena’s 2019 pardon of Gnanasara Thero null and void.

The three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Janak De Silva, Dr. Sobhitha Rajakaruna and Sampath B. Abayakoon held that the pardon was arbitrary, violated the public trust and principles of natural justice, and was made beyond the proper exercise of the President’s constitutional discretion.

The case arose from Gnanasara Thero’s conduct at the Homagama Magistrate’s Court in January 2016 during proceedings relating to the disappearance of journalist and political cartoonist Prageeth Eknaligoda.

The Court of Appeal convicted him on four counts of contempt of court in 2018 and imposed concurrent prison terms amounting to six years. He had served about nine months when Sirisena granted him a presidential pardon on May 23, 2019.

The Supreme Court found that although Article 34 empowers the President to grant pardons, that power is held in trust for the people and is subject to constitutional limitations and judicial review. The Court concluded that Sirisena had effectively acted on the recommendation of the Additional Secretary (Legal) without demonstrating that he had independently considered the relevant material.

Justice De Silva held that the pardon was “arbitrary”, violated public trust and the rules of natural justice, and was ultra vires the President’s powers. The Court consequently found that the decision violated the fundamental right to equality guaranteed by Article 12(1) of the Constitution.

The ruling effectively restores the legal position under the original conviction, leaving Gnanasara Thero without the benefit of the 2019 pardon. The Supreme Court also clarified that a pardon does not erase a conviction or sentence, but merely relieves an offender from serving the sentence to the extent specified in the pardon.

Gnanasara Thero, the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena, had been convicted over his conduct during proceedings concerning the disappearance of Eknaligoda, who went missing in January 2010 and has not been located.

Sandhya Eknaligoda, Prageeth Eknaligoda’s wife, was among those who challenged the presidential pardon before the Supreme Court, alongside the Centre for Policy Alternatives and its Executive Director Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu.

The detailed account of the judgment indicates that the Court’s ruling primarily nullified the pardon and restored the legal effect of the original sentence, with the implementation of the sentence falling to the relevant authorities.

Police sources said that the Supreme Court, however, did not permanently close the door on executive clemency. It held that a future President could grant Gnanasara Thero another pardon, provided the power is exercised lawfully and after proper consideration of all relevant material.

The Supreme Court has so far overturned three presidential pardons granted to two former Presidents. In January 2024, the Court declared former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s pardon of former MP Duminda Silva unlawful and invalid. In June 2024, it invalidated two pardons granted by former President Maithripala Sirisena to Royal Park murder convict Jude Shramantha Anthony Jayamaha — the first in May 2016, which commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment, and the second in October 2019, which released him from prison. Jayamaha, who was convicted of the murder of 19-year-old Yvonne Johnson, remains at large. Most recently, on September 10, 2026, the Supreme Court declared Sirisena’s 2019 pardon of Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero null and void, ruling that it was arbitrary and inconsistent with the Constitution.

Sri Lanka and India exchanged three key Memorandums of Understanding this morning, aimed at further strengthening defence and security cooperation between the two countries.

The agreements were exchanged during Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The first MoU was signed between the National Defence College of Sri Lanka and the National Defence College of India to enhance cooperation in national security, development and strategic studies.

The second MoU establishes cooperation between the National Cadet Corps of Sri Lanka and its Indian counterpart.

The third MoU has been signed between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Government of India concerning the acquisition of six L-70 guns of Sri Lanka Air Force.

Under the agreement, India will also provide free maintenance support for the six existing L-70 air defence weapons currently in Sri Lanka.

The three agreements are expected to further strengthen defence ties and military cooperation between Sri Lanka and India.

The Supreme Court, while invalidating the Presidential pardon granted to Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Atte Gnanasara Thera by former President Maithripala Sirisena, has stressed that the President exercises the executive power of the People in trust and must exercise such power in the public interest.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Janak De Silva observed that a Presidential pardon is not a private act of grace exercised for the benefit of the President or for the advancement of any personal, political or other self-serving interest.

Justice De Silva held that the power to grant a pardon is a constitutional power derived from the sovereignty of the People and must therefore be exercised towards an end consistent with the public interest.

The Court observed that the records maintained at the Presidential Secretariat did not contain reasons for the decision to pardon Gnanasara Thero. The former President had also failed to state in his affidavit the reasons for granting the pardon.

Justice De Silva further observed that the President is required to remain accountable for decisions made in the exercise of constitutional powers and must furnish reasons for such decisions.

According to the judgment, the requirement to give reasons is necessary for the Court to determine whether the power has been exercised within the limits prescribed by the Constitution and to ensure that the exercise of presidential power remains subject to effective judicial scrutiny.

Justice De Silva further noted that prior to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the President enjoyed immunity in respect of acts done in the capacity of President. However, the 19th Amendment removed such immunity and rendered acts of the President justiciable.

The judgment further observed that the judiciary exercises the judicial power of the People and therefore constitutes a constitutional check upon the legislative and executive powers of the People, exercised respectively by Parliament and the President.

Visiting Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (09), during his three-day official visit to Sri Lanka.

The meeting focused on further strengthening the longstanding defence and security cooperation between India and Sri Lanka, with both sides reaffirming the importance of continued engagement and strong bilateral relations.

Singh arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday afternoon and was received at Bandaranaike International Airport by Deputy Minister of Defence Maj. Gen. Aruna Jayasekara (Retd.) and Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha.

The Indian Defence Minister is scheduled to remain in Sri Lanka until September 10. During his visit, he is expected to meet Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Defence Ministry Secretary Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Sampath Thuyacontha, and other senior officials.

According to Indian media reports, the visit is also expected to include a review of the implementation of the India-Sri Lanka defence cooperation agreement signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka last year.

The visit marks the first visit by an Indian Defence Minister to Sri Lanka in 38 years.

Meanwhile, the Colombo Traffic Division has introduced a special traffic plan for the duration of Singh’s visit. Traffic restrictions will be imposed on several main roads in Colombo at various times as he travels to different locations.

India Reaffirms Support for Sri Lanka

Speaking at a community reception in Colombo yesterday, Singh assured Sri Lanka of India’s unwavering support, saying New Delhi would stand by Colombo with its full strength whenever the island nation faces a crisis.

Describing Sri Lanka as a “very close friend” of India, Singh emphasized the deep-rooted and civilisational ties between the two countries and the importance of maintaining strong relations with neighbouring countries.

“India considers Sri Lanka a very close friend. India understands this reality very well — that in life, everything can change, but neighbours can never change. Friends can change in life, but neighbours can never change,” he said.

Singh also said India’s longstanding tradition was to treat its neighbours as family members and expressed his happiness at meeting members of the Indian diaspora in Sri Lanka.