Head of ‘One Country One Law’ Presidential Task force Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera said although it is true that he had Court cases against him, this is not the time to speak about them.
He said so during a press conference held at President’s Media Centre today (1).
Replying a journalist who questioned whether the Presidential Pardon granted for Gnanasara Thera would be a hurdle for him to bear the post, the Thera said,
“Am I the only monk who received Presidential Pardon? Plenty of other monks have been granted Presidential Pardon too. This is not the time to talk about the Count cases against me. We have a big task in front of us to complete. That is why the President appointed us to this task force.”
The Thera said that all the members of the task force do not want to engage in media stunts.
“We are here to work. There are so many people who are suffering from inconsistencies of the current law in the country. Some people do not even know that as citizens they have the protection of law. This should be changed and discussed in depth.”
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last week appointed ‘One Country One Law’ Presidential Task Force headed by Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thera. This move was heavily criticized by many parties including those who affiliated with the Government.
Gnanasara Thera was released by a presidential pardon in 2019 while serving six years in over a 2016 incident when he interrupted a court hearing about the abduction of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda.
He was also sentenced in a separate case in June for having threatened the journalist’s wife.
