The legal history of Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero, also known as 'Karandeniye Nuwansiri Kumara'

Following the Supreme Court's nullification of the presidential pardon granted in 2019, Venerable Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero, Secretary General of the Bodu Bala Sena organization, has been re-imprisoned. Accordingly, the Court of Appeal ordered the Commissioner General of Prisons on October 05, 2026, to implement the remaining period of the six-year prison sentence imposed in 2018 for contempt of court.

Born as Nuwansiri Kumara on March 04, 1975, in Galagodaaththe, Karandeniya, Galle, he entered the monastic order in the seventh grade. He obtained a degree in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Kelaniya and later a postgraduate degree in Business Administration. He was a co-pioneer in establishing the Bodu Bala Sena organization in 2012 and also served as the chairman of the 'One Country - One Law' Presidential Task Force appointed by then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in October 2021.

Case history against Gnanasara Thero

• Venerable Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero was charged with 9 offenses, including drunk driving, at the Colombo Traffic Court in 2000 (Case No: 6315/2000). After he pleaded guilty to these charges on September 20 of that year, the court imposed a fine of Rs. 12,000.
  When questioned about this later in a media conference (Derana 360), Gnanasara Thero stated that it was not he but a military officer who was driving the vehicle at the time.
  
  
• Media attention was first drawn to this monk in June 2012 due to an incident of verbal abuse on the Southern Expressway. Videos related to this circulated on social media, where he was heard shouting derogatory terms like 'Hambayas' at Muslims, saying things like 'You treat Hambayas well'.
  The severe altercation occurred with officials at the Pinnaduwa entrance and Kottawa exit of the Southern Expressway regarding a non-functioning brake light on the vehicle in which Gnanasara Thero was traveling with Kirulapana Nanda Thero, and issues related to toll payments. He stated that he used strong (abusive) language because he could not tolerate the injustice. Although reports initially linked Kirulapana Nanda Thero, who was in the vehicle, to the incident, it was actually Gnanasara Thero who used the abusive language.
  Political analysts have cited this 2012 incident as the first instance where external forces used him to spread anti-Muslim sentiment in the country, as monks were often used in various socio-political events at the time.
  
  

The following is a series of legal events surrounding Venerable Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero, who became a co-founder of the Bodu Bala Sena organization in 2012 and was appointed its Secretary General.

• On April 9, 2014, he stormed a National Bodu Bala Sena press conference at the Nippon Hotel in Colombo and threatened Watareka Vijitha Thero. Afterwards, he made comments about the Quran in front of the Fort Police, which the Director General of Muslim Affairs stated were defamatory. The case file was referred to the Attorney General.
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• On June 15, 2014, he made comments at an Aluthgama rally after an alleged assault on Ayagama Samitha Thero. Hours later, anti-Muslim violence erupted in Aluthgama, Dharga Town, and Beruwala, killing four people and injuring others. Muslim homes, shops, and a mosque were damaged. He was not arrested.



• On June 26, 2014, he threatened to commit suicide if 13 Bodu Bala Sena members, detained in connection with the violence, were not released. They were subsequently released.
• On January 25, 2016, in case B 7417/10 at the Homagama Magistrate's Court, during the inquiry into the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, he addressed the open court without permission, insulted Senior State Counsel Dileepa Peiris, and intimidated Sandhya Eknaligoda by accusing her of supporting Tamil extremists and defaming the military. Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake complained to the Court of Appeal. On the same day, the police arrested him on charges of contempt of court, obstructing proceedings, and intimidating a public official.
• In 2016, two separate cases were opened concerning two media conferences. One was about statements made regarding Kuragala/Jailani, and the other was an alleged insult to Islam at a Kirulapana media conference on or around July 16, 2016.
• On June 21, 2017, he surrendered on a previous warrant and was released on anticipatory bail by the Fort Magistrate. Subsequently, the Organized Crime Division re-arrested him on charges of obstructing police, threatening, and making hate speech during an incident at Welikada. The Chief Magistrate of Colombo released him on the same day on a personal bail of one hundred thousand rupees and two sureties of one hundred thousand rupees each.
• In February 2018, he arrived in Digana after the death of a Sinhala lorry driver. Subsequently, anti-Muslim riots erupted. He was not charged in connection with the riots.
• On May 24, 2018, Homagama Magistrate Udesh Ranatunga convicted him of criminal intimidation against Sandhya Eknaligoda.
• On June 14, 2018, sentencing took place in Homagama. He was sentenced to six months of rigorous imprisonment, a fine between Rs. 1,500 and Rs. 3,000, and ordered to pay Rs. 50,000 in compensation to Sandhya Eknaligoda. According to some reports, it was a one-year sentence to be served as six months. This was his first imprisonment. This conviction was later upheld by the Supreme Court.
• On August 8, 2018, the Court of Appeal, comprising Justices Preethi Padman Sooraseena and Arjuna Obeyesekere, found him guilty on all four contempt charges in the Homagama incident. Sentences of 4, 4, 6, and 5 years were imposed, which were to run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of six years of rigorous imprisonment. He was taken to Welikada.
• On May 23, 2019, President Maithripala Sirisena pardoned him. He was released from Welikada after nearly nine months. A prison report attached to the pardon file stated that with the remission, his sentence was due to end on July 28, 2022. This pardon was granted a few days after anti-Muslim violence following the Easter attacks and after senior monks lobbied for his release.
• On October 26, 2021, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, via gazette notification, appointed him as the chairman of the 13-member 'One Country, One Law' Task Force. The report was submitted on June 29, 2022.
• On October 2, 2023, the Additional Magistrate of Colombo issued a notice regarding a housing dispute in Bambalapitiya. The complainant, Inoka Senanayake, alleged that the house, bequeathed by her aunt Sumithra Senanayake Weerasinghe, was occupied by the monk and others.
• On March 28, 2024, Colombo High Court Judge Aditya Patabendige sentenced him to four years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of one hundred thousand rupees for the 2016 Kuragala statement. Fines of Rs. 50,000 for each of the two charges were to be paid consecutively. It was ruled that he had intentionally harmed national and religious harmony. He was sent to Welikada. Bail was refused at the first instance.
• On July 18, 2024, the Court of Appeal granted bail until the revision petition was heard. A cash bail of Rs. 50,000, two sureties of five hundred thousand rupees each, and a travel ban were imposed. On July 22, 2024, the High Court issued the formal order for his release.
• On September 12, 2024, the Additional Magistrate ordered him and two others to return the Bambalapitiya house, valued at over Rs. 100 million.



• On January 9, 2025, the Colombo Magistrate's Court sentenced him to nine months in prison and a fine of Rs. 1,500 for insulting Islam and disturbing religious harmony at the Kirulapana media conference in July 2016.
• On June 1, 2026, at the Colombo High Court, the defense in the house case stated that the clients would transfer the property to the legal heirs and vacate it.
• On June 23, 2026, Colombo High Court Judge Manjula Thilakaratne rejected his appeal and affirmed the nine-month sentence and the Rs. 1,500 fine.
• On September 10, 2026, the Supreme Court, Justice Janak de Silva, declared the 2019 pardon arbitrary, a breach of public trust and natural justice, and ultra vires and invalid. The petitioners were the Centre for Policy Alternatives and Dr. Paki-yasothi Saravanamuttu, and Sandhya Eknaligoda. It was ruled that the conviction and sentence remained, and a pardon only suspends the execution of the sentence, not erases the conviction. On September 12, prison officials visited his temple on Nawala Road, Rajagiriya, but he was not there.
• On September 16, 2026, he personally appeared at the Colombo High Court for an Islam-related case, which was adjourned to September 30.
• On September 29, 2026, the Court of Appeal, Justices Mayadunne Corea and Lakmali Karunanayake, issued a warrant after his non-appearance. His lawyer stated he was ill, but no medical report was submitted. The next day, the Colombo High Court also issued a warrant in the case of insulting Islam.
• On October 1, 2026, the Court of Appeal issued an open warrant and a travel ban, to be executed through the Inspector General of Police.
• On the night of October 3, 2026, the Colombo Crimes Division arrested him at the Thiniyawala Aranya Senasanaya in Kalutara. It is also known as Lenagiri Aranya in Pitigala area.
• On October 4, 2026, after being produced before the Additional Magistrate of Colombo, he was remanded for the night. Prison authorities were ordered to ensure his safety, and he was scheduled to appear before the Court of Appeal the next day.
• On October 5, 2026, the Court of Appeal ordered the Commissioner General of Prisons to immediately implement the remaining period of the six-year contempt sentence. The defense's request to address the court was rejected.
• On October 6, 2026, he appeared before the Colombo High Court in prison attire instead of robes for the Attorney General's case concerning statements about Islam and the Quran. Lawyer Sanjaya Marambe raised an objection under Article 9 of the Constitution. Justice Buddhitha Sri Ragala stated that the objection could be referred to a higher court and set the date for October 23. The prosecution stated that three witnesses and 13 productions were expected. The Kotte Sangha Sabha formally requested the Commissioner General of Prisons in writing not to remove his robes.
• On October 7, 2026, a bank official from Kelaniya was remanded until October 9. He was accused of transporting the monk from Rajagiriya towards Elpitiya while warrants were being executed. The Mahanayake Theros of the three Nikayas wrote a letter to the Commissioner General of Prisons. The Magistrate's Court re-summoned the nine-month case, with the next date set for February 25, 2027. The lawyer stated that a Supreme Court appeal and a stay application had been filed.
• On October 8, 2026, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was scheduled to meet the Mahanayake Theros of the Nikayas at 1:00 PM regarding the robes dispute. The United National Party and the Sri Lankan Bhikkhu Association in Europe protested against the prison attire.

Currently, the main political and religious crisis that has arisen is the removal of Gnanasara Thero's robes and his presentation in court in prison attire. While lawyers argue that under Article 9 of the Constitution, only the relevant Sangha Council has the authority to remove a monk's robes, prison authorities state that they are acting under the Prisons Ordinance.

Based on this issue, the Kotte Sangha Sabha, as well as the Mahanayake Theros of the three Nikayas, have sent letters to the Commissioner General of Prisons, and the United National Party and the Sri Lankan Bhikkhu Association in Europe have also expressed their protest regarding this matter.