General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera has been sentenced to 04 years of rigorous imprisonment over a statement made in 2016.
Issuing the sentence today, Colombo High Court Judge Aditya Patabendige also imposed a fine of Rs. 100,000 on the Buddhist monk.
The verdict was issued after Ven. Gnanasara Thera was found guilty of the two indictments that had been filed by the Attorney General.
A case was filed against Ven. Gnanasara Thera for having caused harm to national and religious harmony via his statement on the Kuragala Buddhist Temple made during a press briefing in Colombo in 2016.
In February this year, Ven. Gnanasara Thera apologised to the Muslim community for having caused distress over controversial remarks he had made linked to the Kuragala Temple.
During a recent court proceeding, Ven. Gnanasara Thera extended his apologies to the Muslim community over his statement made eight years ago. (NewsWire)