September 10, Colombo (LNW): The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has determined that the presidential pardon granted to Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera by former President Maithripala Sirisena was not legally valid.
The decision was delivered today following consideration of fundamental rights petitions brought by Sandhya Eknaligoda, the wife of disappeared journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, along with several other petitioners.
The case centres on Gnanasara Thera’s 2018 conviction for contempt of court, for which the Court of Appeal imposed a six-year prison sentence. He was later released after receiving a presidential pardon from Sirisena.
In its latest ruling, the Supreme Court held that the presidential clemency granted to the Buddhist monk could not stand, effectively rejecting the validity of the pardon.
The judgment represents a significant ruling on the exercise of presidential powers to grant pardons and is expected to draw renewed attention to the legal limits surrounding executive clemency in Sri Lanka.