The background of Kasun Kularatne, also known as Balangoda Kassapa Thero

As of today, Balangoda Kassapa Thero, who is staying near the Ministry of Buddha Sasana in Colombo, has once again become a focal point in the country's political and religious discourse. Participating in the 'Justice for Robe' march that came from Kandy, he demands an unconditional presidential pardon for Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thero, stating that if not granted, the President should resign. He has also announced a program to offer one hundred thousand robes (සිවුරු ලක්ෂයක්) on behalf of Gnanasara Thero.

He has decided to stay near the ministry overnight, despite the Fort Magistrate's Court prohibiting protests.

Balangoda Kassapa Thero, who works with groups like the Shakya Putra National Organization, gained widespread public attention during the 2022 Galle Face Aragalaya (struggle). He actively contributed to the struggle by setting up a tent near the Bandaranaike statue at GotaGoGama and became embroiled in a controversy by opposing the singing of the national anthem in both Sinhala and Tamil. Later, he severely criticized the struggle, claiming that Buddhism was not given prominence and the Catholic Church received more space.

Constantly discussed on social media, he is referred to by critics as a politician with racist views who uses the monastic robe. However, his supporters see him as a protector of the Buddha Sasana. Some media reports, such as Lanka E News, have identified his lay name as Munindrage Diluka Kasun Kularatne and stated that he faced a case in the Balangoda Magistrate's Court in 2009 for assaulting his father. However, that court verdict has not yet been independently confirmed.

Since the Aragalaya, Kassapa Thero has had several encounters with the law in the past few years. In August 2022, he was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department on charges of forcibly entering Temple Trees and was released on a personal bail of five hundred thousand rupees. In February 2023, he was arrested by the police for engaging in a Satyagraha (non-violent resistance) blocking the parliamentary entrance against the Thirteenth Constitutional Amendment, and again in June 2024, when preparing for a hunger strike near Parliament against the proposed Electricity Act.

Among his legal interventions, the most serious incident was reported from Trincomalee in November 2025. Following a complaint by the Coast Conservation Department alleging the unauthorized placement of a Buddha statue in a coastal protected zone near the Sri Sambuddhatva Jayanthi Bodhiraja Viharaya on Fort Road, Trincomalee, severe unrest erupted when the police attempted to remove it.

Following this incident, on January 14, 2026, the Trincomalee Magistrate's Court remanded Kassapa Thero and several other suspects. The Port Police filed eight charges, including membership in an unlawful assembly, unauthorized construction in a coastal zone, and assaulting police officers, and he commenced a hunger strike in prison. Later, with the intervention of representatives from the National Freedom Front, he temporarily suspended it and was admitted to the Trincomalee Hospital due to illness. Even after writ petitions filed before the Court of Appeal were rejected, he was granted bail by the Trincomalee High Court on February 11, under strict conditions, including not obstructing religious or public activities.

Meanwhile, another legal crisis arose when Kassapa Thero publicly declared that the accusation of a monk attempting to sexually abuse a minor girl at a temple in Navatkuli, Jaffna, was a conspiracy by Tamil political parties. An application to file a contempt of court case against him in this regard was rejected by the Chavakachcheri Magistrate's Court in June 2026.

The journey of Balangoda Kassapa Thero, which began with a tent at the protest site, extended to prisons and hospitals, and now to street protests imposing conditions on the President, perfectly illustrates one aspect of the complex conflict between religion and law in modern Sri Lanka.

Timeline of Legal Disputes

• September 7, 2009 - Media reports emerged about a case (No. 29844) at the Balangoda Magistrate's Court regarding an assault on his father (this verdict has not been independently confirmed).
• August 24, 2022 - Arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department on charges of entering Temple Trees during the Aragalaya.
• August 26, 2022 - Released on a personal bail of five hundred thousand rupees by the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court in connection with the Temple Trees incident.
• February 8, 2023 - Arrested by the police while engaging in a Satyagraha at the parliamentary entrance against the Thirteenth Amendment.
• June 6, 2024 - Arrested by Talangama Police while preparing for a hunger strike near Parliament against the proposed Electricity Act.
• November 16, 2025 - Coast Conservation Department filed a complaint and protests erupted regarding unauthorized construction and the placement of a Buddha statue in a coastal protected zone in Trincomalee.
• January 14, 2026 - Remanded by the Trincomalee Magistrate's Court in connection with the Trincomalee Buddha statue incident.
• January 28, 2026 - Port Police filed eight charges in court, including membership in an unlawful assembly and assaulting police officers, and the suspects declared innocent. Remand period further extended.
• February 3, 2026 - Writ petitions challenging the Magistrate's Court remand order were rejected by the Court of Appeal.
• February 11, 2026 - Suspects released by the Trincomalee High Court on a cash bail of Rs. 10,000 and two personal bails of Rs. one million each, with strict conditions.
• June 5, 2026 - Request for contempt of court action based on his statement regarding the Jaffna Navatkuli incident was rejected by the Chavakachcheri Magistrate's Court.
• October 16, 2026 - Fort Magistrate's Court issued an order prohibiting protests in Colombo demanding a pardon for Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thero.