Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara has issued a written response rejecting claims made by the United National Party regarding the imprisonment and protocol surrounding Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera. The Minister addressed allegations concerning the removal of the monk’s robes and the legal standing orders governing incarcerated clergy.
The controversy escalated after the UNP released a statement citing remarks by Joint Opposition Convener Professor G.L. Peiris. The party argued that the Prisons Department Standing Orders already outline explicit guidelines on the attire required when transporting imprisoned monks and religious figures outside correctional facilities. Labeling the appointment of an advisory committee as a dishonest effort to delay and conceal the issue, the UNP called on the government to issue a formal apology to the Mahanayake Thera and the Sangha Sabha of the Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha of the Siam Maha Nikaya.
Key Developments
- Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara stated that the UNP intentionally cited only an isolated excerpt of Prisons Standing Order No. 550 to advance a distorted narrative and mislead the public.
- The Minister emphasized that evaluating legal standards based on partial provisions produces an incomplete understanding of the law.
- Nanayakkara highlighted that the UNP’s media release omitted both the full text of the relevant standing order and the specific duration of Gnanasara Thera’s prison sentence.
- The UNP, backed by statements from Professor G.L. Peiris, had demanded an apology to the leadership of the Siam Maha Nikaya over the handling of the monk’s robes.
Nanayakkara expressed regret that a established political party would publicize distorted perspectives on a socially sensitive issue involving an imprisoned Buddhist monk, reiterating that selective readings of correctional regulations fail to reflect the true legal framework.