The Colombo High Court has ordered that proceedings in the case against Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), be resumed on September 7.
The case concerns allegations that the Buddhist monk made statements deemed insulting to Islam.
The matter was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Buddhika C. Ragala, during which counsel appearing for the defence informed the court that a compact disc (CD) listed among the prosecution’s evidence had not yet been made available to the defence team.
According to the defence, access to the material is necessary to ensure that the case proceeds fairly and that all evidence is properly examined before further hearings take place.
Counsel for Gnanasara Thero also informed the court that discussions with the Attorney General’s Department were expected to take place with the aim of exploring the possibility of an early resolution to the matter. The defence subsequently requested additional time to update the court on the outcome of those discussions.
After considering the submissions made by both parties, Judge Ragala instructed the State Counsel to ensure that the relevant CD is provided to the defence before the next hearing.
The court then fixed September 7 as the date for the continuation of proceedings.
The case has attracted considerable public attention because of the allegations involved and the wider debates surrounding religious harmony, freedom of expression, and the enforcement of laws relating to hate speech in Sri Lanka.
