By The Pulseline News Desk
Amid mounting public scrutiny over allegations of sexual abuse involving Buddhist monks, Sri Lanka’s political and religious leadership is increasingly confronting calls for reform, accountability and stricter disciplinary oversight within the Buddhist clergy.
Addressing the National Vesak Festival in Matara yesterday (27), President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced that the government would move to introduce legal reforms aimed at strengthening disciplinary mechanisms for Buddhist monks.
The President said the government, following requests from the Mahanayake Theras, plans to amend the Vihara and Devalagam Act of 1931 and re-establish a “Dharmadhikaranaya” — a formal ecclesiastical disciplinary body empowered to address misconduct within the Sangha.
The announcement comes at a particularly sensitive moment for the country’s Buddhist establishment.
Public debate has intensified following the recent arrest of the chief prelate of the Atamasthana in Anuradhapura, Ven. Pallegama Hemarathana Thero over allegations involving the rape of an underaged girl. The monk was granted bail last week, but the case has triggered widespread discussion about accountability, influence and the handling of allegations involving senior members of the clergy.
The controversy deepened further this week after the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction and 10-year prison sentence imposed on Buddhist monk Rev. Uduwila Sujatha for the sexual abuse of a nine-year-old boy in 2009.
According to the judgment delivered on 26 May 2026, the monk had appealed against the conviction handed down by the Balapitiya High Court in August 2023. The High Court had found him guilty of committing grave sexual abuse against a child who had been residing at the temple at the time.
The sentence had included 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, a fine of Rs. 20,000 and compensation of Rs. 200,000 to the victim.
The Court of Appeal judgment meanwhile had noted that the victim had testified the abuse occurred inside the monk’s room at the temple. The child had later disclosed the incident to a relative, leading to a police complaint. Medical evidence presented by the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) was also found to be consistent with the victim’s account.
Rejecting the appeal, the Court of Appeal had ruled that the inconsistencies highlighted by the defence were insufficient to discredit the prosecution’s case and upheld the trial judge’s finding that the victim’s testimony was credible.
The developments have added urgency to longstanding concerns about discipline and governance within the country’s Buddhist institutions.
CBK weighs in
Meanwhile, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK) has publicly called for a broad reform programme within the Buddhist clergy, warning that the long-term preservation of Buddhism depends on protecting both the Dhamma and the Vinaya — the moral and disciplinary code governing monks.
In a statement addressed to the Mahanayake Theras of the three Buddhist chapters, CBK had argued that moments of crisis in Buddhist history had repeatedly been addressed through internal reform efforts aimed at safeguarding the Sasana.
She had referred to reforms carried out from the time of the First Buddhist Council to the Kandyan period under the leadership of Welivita Sri Saranankara Thera, stating that such interventions helped preserve Buddhism during periods of decline.
CBK had also reflected on failed reform attempts in post-independence Sri Lanka. She had said efforts initiated during the 1956 administration of former Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike were left incomplete following his assassination.
She had further revealed that during her own presidency, plans had been made to convene a Buddhist Council under the guidance of the late Madihe Pannasiha Mahanayake Thera with state support, but the initiative collapsed due to resistance from sections of the clergy.
According to CBK, vested interests benefiting from institutional weaknesses within the Buddhist establishment have repeatedly obstructed meaningful reform efforts since independence.
Growing concerns
Former President CBK’s intervention reflects growing concern among religious scholars, civil society groups and segments of the Buddhist community that public confidence in the clergy is being eroded by recurring allegations of abuse, politicisation and misconduct.
Buddhism occupies a central place in Sri Lanka’s national identity and constitutional framework, with the state constitutionally obliged to “protect and foster” the religion. Yet recent controversies have intensified debate over whether existing structures are capable of ensuring transparency and accountability within the Sangha.
For many observers, the government’s proposed revival of a Dharmadhikaranaya signals an acknowledgment that disciplinary mechanisms within the Buddhist establishment require urgent strengthening.
Whether such reforms can overcome longstanding institutional resistance, however, remains uncertain.
As the country marks Vesak, it now finds itself engaged in a difficult but increasingly unavoidable conversation about power, accountability and the future of its most influential religious institution.
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