Civil society activist Gamini Viyangoda on Monday (28) lambasted the NPP government for its failure to act promptly on the Supreme Court cancelling the presidential pardon granted to the General Secretary of Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) Galagodaatte Gnanasara.
Addressing a gathering at the Sri Lanka Foundation to mark the launch of ‘Rajapaksha Samagama’ and ‘Pasku Praharaye Thoththa Babala’ by Lasantha Ruhununuge and Tharindu Uduwaragedara and M.F.M., Faseer, Viyangoda alleged that President Dissanayake’s government was also acting in a manner partial to Gnanasara Thera, the way all previous governments had done.
The NPP should be ashamed of its pathetic failure to act swiftly and decisively, immediately after the Supreme Court revoked President Maithripala Sirisena’s pardon. Viyangoda said that the government owed an explanation as to why law enforcement authorities couldn’t apprehend Gnanasara, following the announcement made on 14 Sept. “For two weeks what were they doing,” he asked.
Ven. Gnanasara was sentenced, in 2018, for a six-year period for contempt of court and intimidating Sandya Eknaligoda, the wife of Prageeth Eknaligoda who disappeared in 2010. But, President Sirisena pardoned him before the convicted monk completed one year of his six-year term.
Viyangoda said that Ven. Gnanasara had openly moved about freely, launched a book and acted as if the Supreme Court ruling didn’t have any impact. Every minute Gnanasara stayed in the open it was an affront to the Supreme Court, Viyangoda said, accusing the government of shielding a wrongdoer.
Referring to certain incidents during the Yahapalana time, Viyangoda revealed that he personally sought the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s direct intervention to have Ven. Gnanasara, hiding at a faraway temple, apprehended. “I met Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees. When I raised the failure on the part of police to apprehend Gnanasara, Wickremasinghe immediately called Sagala Ratnayake, who was in charge of public security at that time. Ratnayake promised to take the monk to custody the following day. The next day, Gnanasara surrendered through a lawyer.”
Viyangoda alleged that the Wickremesinghe government had shielded Vem. Gnanasara. The Wickremesinghe-Sagala Ratnayaka duo did that in style, he said, accusing the present government, too, of doing the same.
The Court of Appeal yesterday (29) issued a warrant for the arrest of Gnanasara Thera and ordered that he be produced before the court on 1 Oct.
The court further directed that the warrant be executed through the Inspector General of Police.
This happened when a motion filed by the Attorney General, seeking an order to enforce the prison sentence imposed on Gnanasara Thera, was taken up before the Court of Appeal.
The motion was heard before a Court of Appeal bench, comprising Justices Mayadunne Corea and Lakmali Karunanayake.
President’s Counsel Anura Meddegoda, appearing for Gnanasara Thera, told the court that his client was resting due to illness and requested a date to study the motion and make submissions.
But State Counsel Sajith Bandara declared that the matter concerned a criminal case and requested that the court issue a warrant if the accused failed to appear before the court.
