Politics · Sri Lanka Bureau
Opposition calls on president to reinstate pardon for Buddhist monk
The Janathawadi Joint Opposition has urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to restore a presidential pardon for Ven. Galagodaththe Gnanasara, citing the controversial annulment of an earlier clemency granted in 2019.
LSN Sri Lanka ·
The convenor of the Janathawadi Joint Opposition, Prof. G. L. Peiris, has called on the incumbent president to reinstate presidential clemency for the Buddhist prelate, reversing what the opposition characterizes as an improper reversal of a previous executive decision.
The central grievance, according to Prof. Peiris, concerns the cancellation of a presidential pardon that was originally granted to Ven. Gnanasara by former President Maithripala Sirisena in May 2019. The opposition leader made these remarks while addressing media representatives at the Flower Road office of a former political figure.
The case underscores ongoing political tensions surrounding presidential powers of clemency and their exercise. The opposition's intervention suggests that the matter remains contentious within Sri Lanka's political establishment, with questions surrounding both the original grant of pardon and its subsequent withdrawal.
The development comes amid broader scrutiny of executive decisions made under previous administrations, as the new government continues to review various policy matters inherited from its predecessors.