Supreme Court restores prison term for monk pardoned in contempt case

Supreme Court reinstates prison term for monk pardoned in contempt case, reaffirming legal accountability and judicial authority.

Supreme Court restores prison term for monk pardoned in contempt case
Liberal News
Publish: 10.09.2026
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The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has overturned a presidential pardon granted to Galagodaatte Gnanasara and ordered him to serve the remainder of a six-year sentence for contempt of court and intimidation relating to the wife of a missing political cartoonist, the court announced.

Gnanasara was sentenced in 2018 after interrupting a court hearing to speak in support of military intelligence officials accused in the disappearance of cartoonist Prageeth Eknaligoda. He served less than a year because then-president Maithripala Sirisena issued a pardon.

The court ruling restores the original sentence and requires Gnanasara to return to custody to complete the remaining term. The case concerns intimidation of Sanya Eknaligoda, the wife of Prageeth Eknaligoda, who disappeared in 2010 and whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Gnanasara leads the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and was a supporter of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Separately, in 2025 he was given a nine-month sentence for insulting Islam and inciting religious hatred.

Liberal News Analysis: What Does This Development Mean?

The Supreme Court decision affects the enforcement of a 2018 contempt conviction that had been stayed by a presidential pardon. It directly restores the custodial element of the sentence for intimidation tied to the Eknaligoda case. The ruling also follows a later 2025 conviction that resulted in a nine-month term for religiously inflammatory remarks.

Quick Glance: What You Need to Know

  • Supreme Court annulled a presidential pardon for Galagodaatte Gnanasara.
  • Gnanasara must serve the remainder of a six-year contempt sentence tied to intimidation of Sanya Eknaligoda.
  • Gnanasara previously served under a year due to a pardon and received a separate nine-month sentence in 2025 for insulting Islam.
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