Ven. Gnanasara Thero is back inside for 5 years and 5 months due to the disturbance he caused at the Homagama court in 2016, by saying 'po##' in front of the judge.

The Court of Appeal today (5) ordered that steps be taken to implement the remaining 5 years and 5 months of the prison sentence imposed on Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero, after he was found guilty of contempt of court charges. This order was issued after Gnanasara Thero, for whom an open warrant had been issued for arrest, was produced before the Court of Appeal by prison officials today.

Considering the facts presented, the panel of judges ordered the Commissioner General of Prisons to take necessary steps to implement the remaining period of the sentence imposed on Gnanasara Thero. Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero, the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena organization, who was accused of contempt of court by behaving riotously at the Homagama Magistrate's Court in 2016, was sentenced to 6 years in prison in July 2018. However, perhaps due to the period when President Maithripala Sirisena turned to the Rajapaksa camp for a 52-day government, Gnanasara Thero was released under a presidential pardon after a short period of 7 months.

This sentence was initially imposed in 2018, delivering a verdict on a complaint made by Mr. Ranga Dissanayake, the former Homagama Magistrate and current Director General of the Bribery Commission. The court ordered a 19-year prison sentence to be served concurrently over 6 years. It was noteworthy that even at the time of delivering this verdict, the Thero was hospitalized and receiving treatment, seemingly avoiding court.

Colombo Additional Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake described the incident that occurred in 2016 before the Court of Appeal as follows.

‘‘Since October 06, 2006, I have served as a Magistrate for 12 years. During that entire period, nothing like this has ever happened. A case concerning the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda was heard at the Homagama Magistrate's Court. On January 25, 2016, something special related to this case occurred. After hearing submissions, I ordered six suspects to be further remanded. A little later, another case was called before the court. At that moment, something unusual happened. A monk who had been seated came and stood facing the judge's bench.

The distance between my seat and the monk was about 15 feet. The monk was shouting in a sermon-like manner, saying, ‘‘War heroes are imprisoned. Tigers have been released. We do not accept this white man's law.‘‘ No one can speak like that in court without permission. I was immediately surprised. Although I spoke to the court interpreter and asked him to inform the monk how to behave, the monk ignored it and continued to express his views. That statement was not a humble request. It felt like a statement made in the form of an order. I felt that by "war heroes," the monk was referring to those suspects. At that moment, the State Counsel and lawyer Upul Kumarapperuma, who appeared for the aggrieved party, came to court. Then the monk's tone became harsh. He stated, 'I don't need to hear the opinions of government lawyers. They are the Attorney General's *******.' After that statement, the monk, along with other monks, left the courtroom.

By behaving in such a manner before me, it was clear that the monk had committed a punishable offense by challenging the authority of the court and speaking to the State Counsel in a threatening tone. Accordingly, in accordance with the laws of the Criminal Procedure Code, the Homagama Headquarters Police Inspector was ordered to arrest this monk and produce him before the court. I had seen this monk before through the media. However, I requested other lawyers to identify the monk. Mr. Upali Senaratne, a lawyer present there, identified him as Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero.‘‘