The Colombo Fort Magistrate recalled two warrants issued against Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Atte Gnanasara Thera over two cases, after he surrendered to court yesterday.
Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne had issued warrants for the arrest of Gnanasara Thera on June 15,for not being present in court in connection with two cases filed against him.
Ven.Gnanasara was first granted bail at noon yesterday and was thereafter produced again at 2.30PM before the Magistrate for the second case. He was granted bail for both.
Gnanasara Thera surrendered to court along with President’s Counsel Tirantha Walaliyadda through a motion application.
Walaliyadda appearing for Gnanasara Thera, moved court that the warrant issued against his client be recalled. He told court that his client was unable to be present because he was under death threats.”My client did not abscond courts. He was under death threats,” Walaliyadda added.
The Magistrate decided to recall the warrants against Gnanasara Thera after satisfying with suspect’s previous court attendance record.
In one case, BBS General Secretary Ven. Galaboda Atte Gnanasara Thera and seven others had been named as suspects in connection with disrupting a media conference organised by the Jathika Bala Sena (JBS) at the Nippon Hotel on April 9, 2014.
In the other case, the prosecutors alleged that the BBS General Secretary had allegedly made a defamatory statement to Islam and the Holy Quran on April 12, 2014 near the Slave Island police station.
In their complaints to the police, more than eight individuals alleged that the Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary had made a defamatory statement to the media regarding Islam and the Holy Quran. They requested police to take necessary legal action against the monk. Further magisterial inquiry was fixed for August 10.
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