GENERAL10 Sept 2026
Sri Lanka Supreme Court revokes controversial monk’s presidential pardon
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has cancelled a presidential pardon given to Buddhist monk Gnanasara Thero, calling the 2019 decision arbitrary and null and void. Two petitioners, the Centre for Policy Alternatives and Sandya Eknaligoda, had challenged it. The ruling matters because it shows the judiciary can reverse an executive pardon, even in a country where Buddhist clergy hold real political influence.
Key Statutory Highlights
- Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Thursday, September 10, 2026, overturned the presidential pardon granted to monk Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero.
- Then President Maithripala Sirisena had pardoned the monk in May 2019, when he was serving a prison term for contempt of court and criminal intimidation.
- The court ruled the pardon was arbitrary and declared it null and void, after a challenge by the Centre for Policy Alternatives and Sandya Eknaligoda.
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