Court rejects Gnanasara Thera’s bail application

The Homagama Magistrate today rejected the bail application submitted on behalf of the Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary the Ven. Galagodatte Gnanasara Thera, who was remanded till February 9 on the charge of contempt of court.

Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake said it was quite evident that the suspect’s act of contempt of court was pre-panned and had undermined the people’s sovereignty. He said he was not scared of any threat and that he would not change his decision even at gun point.

Attorney Sumudu Kantha Hewage had submitted the bail application last morning.

Lawyers appearing for the Thera he had been involved in the incident due to his young age and his sentiments for the nation and the religion and that it was not pre-panned. They moved for the Thera's release on conditional bail.

Attorney Sudath Wickeremaratne representing the Homagama Bar Association objected to the release of the Thera that saying he got involved through ignorance of the law was not an admissible plea.

He told Court the suspect had been released earlier on the charge of breach of civil law and that he was responsible for creating Sinhala-Muslim clashes in Beruwala which wreaked havoc in Dharga Town, Beruwela.

The Attorney said he was not prepared to call the suspect a Buddhist monk and insult the Buddhist monks of high calibre who upheld their dignity. He said he would like to introduce the suspect as a thug in robes and pointed out that the suspect shouted slogans that he would not respect the law of the Brown Sahibs and challenged the Court to arrest him and twenty other Buddhist monks who were with him and even insulted the lawyers representing the Attorney General’s Department. The attorney said they witnessed the behavior of a group of individuals in robes who obstructed the court proceedings on the day the suspect was arrested.

Attorney Shantha Warnakulasuriya appearing for the Thera said the group of individuals who obstructed the case proceedings on Tuesday had not accompanied the suspect.

The Magistrate who rejected the bail application told court that he would not take decisions under pressure of protests or at the instigation of any individual. He pointed out that the causing obstructions to Court proceedings amounted to contempt of court and insulting the state officials to that of obstructing their duty. The Mgistrate said he found no reason to change his order in two days.

He informed the parties to the case that he would refer the case to the Appeal Court or take any other action on the instructions of the Attorney General. (Muditha Dayananda)