President Will Not Grant Pardon to Gnanasara Thera, Senior Government Official Says

20-Oct-2026

.

The Government has categorically ruled out the possibility of a presidential pardon for Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena organisation, who is currently in prison.

An English-language media outlet has reported that senior government officials have stated that the President will not make decisions by yielding to pressure from any group or by violating the law.

According to the report, a senior government official said: “Issues relating to the law must be resolved through the courts, not outside the judicial system.”

The official reportedly added that granting a pardon to Gnanasara Thera would set a wrong precedent by encouraging others in similar circumstances to seek pardons, and that the President would therefore not agree to such a move.

“Gnanasara Thera has been convicted in two cases, and several other cases against him remain pending. Therefore, granting him a blanket pardon that would exempt him from all these cases is not possible,” the official further stated.

The official also said that neither the Government nor the President could be intimidated into making decisions. “Anyone who conspires against the Government will face legal action. Those who attempt to incite ethnic or religious tensions will not be tolerated,” the official warned, according to the report.