How the monk was released on bail in court, even as evidence emerged regarding the doormat on which sperm was wiped and about the given Call 84.

As the secrets of a dark crime committed under the guise of a pure yellow robe unfolded before the court, the heartbeat of an entire society stopped for a moment. Today in court, the struggle between the police, who allegedly gave insufficient evidence to save the monk, and the Child Protection Authority, which fought for justice for the girl, was depicted.

The biased behavior shown by the police, who presented very brief evidence with the intention of obtaining bail, became the subject of everyone's discussion.

Anuradhapura Chief Magistrate and Additional District Judge Siyapath Sasindu Wickramarathne today (22) ordered the release of Pallegama Hemarathana Thero, the chief incumbent of Anuradhapura Atamasthana, who was remanded on the inhumane charge of severe abuse of a minor girl, and the girl's mother, who is accused of intentionally aiding and abetting the crime by sacrificing her own daughter for money, on strict bail conditions. Accordingly, the suspect monk was ordered two personal bails worth fifty lakhs rupees each and a cash bail of one lakh rupees, while the girl's mother was ordered two personal bails of five lakhs rupees each. The Chief Magistrate prohibited both parties from traveling abroad and sternly warned that if any influence on witnesses was reported, the bail would be immediately revoked and they would be re-remanded.

The true victim of this tragedy is a fourteen-year-old innocent girl, who was cruelly betrayed by her own mother, who should have been her protector, and a religious leader, considered the pinnacle of society. She was so helpless that she buried the blood-stained underwear she wore on the day of the assault in the ground out of fear. Medical examinations have clearly confirmed that she was brought in every three days and subjected to long-term sexual access. After abusing the girl, the monk gave the mother one lakh rupees, and the mother herself stated to the police that she took the money due to poverty, which clearly explains the nature of this sinful transaction. Had the girl not run away from home with her boyfriend and been taken into police custody, this great crime might still have remained a secret hidden from society. What she lost was not just her childhood, but all the innocent hopes of her entire life.

This case is not merely a single crime, but a mirror that exposed the nakedness of the law enforcement mechanism in this country to society. When the case was called, the Nittambuwa Headquarters Chief Police Inspector, appearing for the prosecution, stated to the court that the preliminary investigations related to the incident had been completed and the extracts sent to the Attorney General. The team of over twenty lawyers led by President's Counsel Kalinga Indratissa, appearing for the suspect monk, also emphasized, based on the police statement, that there was no obstacle to granting bail as their client had cooperated with all investigations. However, the facts presented before the court by the Chairperson of the National Child Protection Authority, retired High Court Judge Inoka Ranasinghe, and the Director of Law Enforcement, Attorney Sajeevani Abeykoon, clearly proved how diluted and biased the police investigations were.

The girl had unequivocally and without hesitation pointed out the relevant room in the monastery where the crime occurred, the items in it, and even the doormat on which the suspect monk wiped his semen after the abuse. Furthermore, data analysis reports have already confirmed that eighty-four phone conversations took place between the girl and the suspect monk. The Child Protection Authority questioned in court whether an ordinary girl could make so many calls to such a monk, who is endowed with religious and financial power. Despite such strong evidence, the Nittambuwa police did not arrest the suspect monk, even avoiding obtaining the necessary biological samples for DNA testing, and allowed him to remain free for seventeen days.

The Child Protection Authority pointed out that they had to chase the police with a stick to get this suspect arrested. Finally, as soon as a warrant was issued by the court, the suspect monk, who had no prior illness, attempted to appear as a patient by admitting himself to Nawaloka Hospital, which was later revealed by an examination by six specialist doctors at the National Hospital. It was confirmed that he had no specific serious illnesses other than common chronic diseases associated with aging. Even today in the courtroom, he was seen sitting without any discomfort.

Senior Counsel Asith Siriwardhana, appearing for the girl's rights, raised several strong points before the court. He pointed out that even the questionnaire sent by the police to the Government Analyst was structured in a way that would allow the suspect to escape, and that a video testimony of the victim girl had not yet been properly obtained. In such a context, he strongly requested the court to transfer the entire investigation to the National Child Protection Authority under the Code of Criminal Procedure, as no trust could be placed in the investigations of the Nittambuwa Police.

The most serious problem that arises here is whether the law bends before money, religious, and social power. In addition to the massive legal team that appeared for the suspect monk in the court premises today, the presence of nearly thirty powerful Buddhist monks, including the Chief Incumbent of Ruwanweli Seya, silently demonstrated what kind of social influence was at play. While accusations were made that the file allegedly sent to the Attorney General, claiming investigations were complete, was entirely incomplete, not even a government lawyer representing the Attorney General's Department was present in court today. It remains a mystery whose agenda the police deliberately failed to file serious charges of 'human trafficking' against a mother who sold her own daughter for money.

The police's deviation from the law despite such strong evidence regarding a crime, and even the silence of some mainstream media in the face of this great crime, indicate an organized process of suppressing the truth before power. Isn't it a national misfortune that while the state mechanism, which should stand for the victim in a child abuse case, remains silent, the National Child Protection Authority alone is fighting a solitary battle against this heinous attempt to blindfold the goddess of justice in the face of religious and financial power?

As the court proceedings ended and the suspect monk walked out freely, surrounded by a large retinue of monks and a powerful legal team, that innocent girl, who lost everything, confined within four walls, asks the entire society: does law and justice in this country operate only according to the shape and size of the powerful?

Watch the video related to this incident ›