Sri Lanka court revokes monk's pardon, orders return to prison
Summary
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has overturned a presidential pardon for hardline monk Galagodaatte Gnanasara and ordered him back to prison to serve the rest of a six-year sentence. The case, brought by the Centre for Policy Alternatives and Sandya Eknaligoda, centers on his intimidation of the wife of missing cartoonist Prageeth Eknaligoda.
Key Points
- The Supreme Court ruled that the 2019 presidential pardon for Galagodaatte Gnanasara was arbitrary and invalid.
- Gnanasara’s six-year sentence for intimidating Sandya Eknaligoda has been reinstated, and he must return to prison.
- The case was filed by the Centre for Policy Alternatives and Sandya Eknaligoda, whose husband Prageeth Eknaligoda disappeared in 2010.
- Gnanasara has remained a controversial figure in Sri Lanka’s Buddhist nationalist politics and has also faced separate convictions over remarks against Islam.
