The Kotte Sangha Sabha has urged the Commissioner General of Prisons not to remove the Buddhist monk robes of Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero.
In a written request to the Commissioner General, the Sangha Sabha said there was no information before it indicating that Ven. Gnanasara Thero had committed an offence or any other serious violation under the ‘Vinaya Pitaka’ that would warrant the removal of his robes.
The letter further stated that any disciplinary inquiry conducted in accordance with the traditions and principles of the Buddhist Sasana, including a determination on whether the Thero should be deprived of his monkhood, falls within the responsibility of the Kotte Sangha Sabha.
The Chief Secretary of the Kotte Sangha Sabha, Ven. Dr. Kotapitiye Rahula Anunayake Thero, therefore requested the Commissioner General of Prisons to allow Ven. Gnanasara Thero to retain his Buddhist monk robes and to appear before the relevant authorities wearing them.
