President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is scheduled to meet today (08) with a group of Buddhist monks representing the Chief Prelates of Sri Lanka’s three Buddhist Nikayas.
The meeting is due to take place at 1.00 p.m. at the Presidential Secretariat and will focus on concerns raised by the Chief Prelates over the treatment of Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, who is currently serving a prison sentence.
The discussion follows a letter sent yesterday (07) by the Chief Prelates to the Commissioner General of Prisons objecting to the decision to produce the monk before court wearing prison attire.
In their letter, the Chief Incumbents expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision, arguing that requiring a Buddhist monk to appear before court in prison clothing was inappropriate.
They also pointed out that the authority to disrobe a Buddhist monk rests solely with the relevant Sangha Sabha.
The Chief Prelates therefore requested that Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero be allowed to appear before court wearing his monastic robes.
