Appeal Court Throws Out Petitions Seeking Release of Monks

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Court of Appeal today (3) ordered the dismissal of the petitions filed requesting that the remand orders issued on Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thero and Venerable Trikunamalaye Kalyanawansathissa Thero be annulled.

The order was delivered by a bench comprising Court of Appeal President Justice Rohantha Abeysooriya and Justice Priyantha Fernando.

Ten suspects, including Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thero, are currently in remand custody over the Trincomalee land incident.

The Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court yesterday (2) ordered that the ten suspects, including Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thero, be further remanded until February 09, on charges relating to violations of the Coast Conservation Act and engaging in unauthorized construction in Trincomalee.

Other suspects include:

Venerable Trikunamalaye Kalyanawanshathissa Thero, Chief Incumbent of the Sri Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi Bodhiraja Viharaya
Venerable Trikunamalaye Sukhithawansha Tissa Thero
Venerable Trikunamalaye Nanda Thero
Deepani Liyanage, the UNP organizer alleged to have facilitated renting out the restaurant
Widuranga Lokugalappatti
L.T. Perera
Piyal Premasiri
Dulara Gunathilaka
Sudheepa Liyanage
Sugath Prasanna