By The Pulseline News Desk
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is scheduled to meet a group of Buddhist monks representing the Chief Prelates of Sri Lanka’s three main Buddhist Nikayas today (8) to discuss the controversy over the prison attire worn by Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera when appearing before court.
The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Presidential Secretariat, following a letter sent yesterday (7) by the Mahanayake Theras to the Commissioner General of Prisons objecting to the decision to produce Gnanasara Thera in prison-issued clothing rather than his monastic robes.
In their letter, the Chief Prelates have said requiring a Buddhist monk to appear before court in prison clothing was improper and stressed that the authority to remove a monk’s robes or terminate his monastic status rests with the relevant Nikaya or Sangha Sabha.
They have said the relevant Sangha Sabha had neither determined that Gnanasara Thera had committed a Parajika offence resulting in the termination of his monastic status nor decided that he should be disrobed.
While stressing their respect for the Constitution and judicial process, the Mahanayake Theras have said the removal of a monk’s robes could not be treated solely as an administrative matter under prison regulations.
They have also cited Regulation 550 of the Prison Standing Orders, which provides for convicted prisoners appearing before court to wear civilian clothing corresponding to what they were accustomed to wearing before conviction.
The Mahanayake Theras have argued that, in the case of a Buddhist monk, such clothing would be his monastic robes.
They have further referred to Rule 17(3) of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, which states that prisoners taken outside prison should be permitted to wear their own clothing or other inconspicuous clothing.
The Chief Prelates have therefore requested the Commissioner General of Prisons to make arrangements for Gnanasara Thera to continue appearing before court in his robes and to ensure that his monastic status is not adversely affected while he remains in prison.
The controversy followed the production of Gnanasara Thera before court in civilian clothing while he was serving the remainder of a prison sentence.
The Prisons Department has maintained that the decision was made in accordance with prison regulations. Prison officials have said Buddhist monks sentenced to rigorous imprisonment are required to wear prison-issued clothing, and that prisoners serving sentences exceeding three years must be produced before court in clothing issued by the Department.
Today’s meeting is expected to focus on the competing positions concerning prison regulations, court procedures and the religious authority of the Maha Sangha over the robes and monastic status of an ordained Buddhist monk.
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