Commissioner General of Buddhist Affairs R. M. P. Ratnayake said that steps were taken to appoint an acting Basnayake Nilame to the Sabaragamuwa Maha Saman Devalaya in accordance with the relevant Act.
Ratnayake made this statement yesterday (06) at the Department of Government Information joined by Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Ministry Secretary A.M.P.M.B. Atapattu, in response to the opposition that was raised on Sunday (05) by the Board of Duty (Rajakari Mandalaya), administrative body including the Custodian (Kapu Mahatun) of the Sabaragamuwa Maha Saman Devalaya to the appointment of S.V. Chandrasinghe as acting Basnayake Nilame until a permanent Basnayake Nilame is appointed, after the expiration of the term of the former Basnayake Nilame Migara Jayasundara on December 31, 2024.
Ratnayake said that the five-year term of the former Basnayake Nilame Migara Jayasundara ended in July 2023 and the former President has extended his term for one more year. In July 2024 it was further extended for six months without extending it for another one-year period, as elections were due. He said that according to the provisions of the Act, the President can extend the term of the Basnayake Nilame only on two occasions and therefore even though the former Basnayake Nilame had requested to extend his term for the balance six months, it cannot be brought up to President Anura Kumara Dissanyake as it violates the provisions of the Act for the number of times a President can extend the term of a Basnayake Nilame.
Ratnayake said that accordingly, he has informed the former Basnayake Nilame that his request for further extension of his term in office cannot be accommodated and an election will have to be called to appoint a permanent Basnayake Nilame for the Sabaragamuwa Maha Saman Devalaya. Until then, a temporary custodian has been appointed as the acting Basnayake Nilame.
He said that having received an external application for the temporary custodian as the Basnayake Nilame of the Sabaragamuwa Maha Saman Devalaya, as the candidate cannot contest the office of the Basnayake Nilame election that will be held shortly due to his having reached the cut off age of 70 years this year.
This temporary appointment has been made following all the provisions in the Act, after publishing a notice in the Dinamina newspaper on Sunday (05).
The Rajakari Mandalaya of the Devalaya launched a strike by withdrawing from sacred poojas and rituals on Sunday (05), citing their objection to the appointment of an acting Basnayake Nilame, which they said violates long-standing traditions and was influenced by political considerations.
The board claims the appointment disregards established customs and alleged that S.V. Chandrasinghe has close ties to the current Government. In protest, the temple officials staged a silent demonstration at the entrance of the Sabaragamuwa Maha Saman Devalaya.
The post “Acting Basnayake Nilame appointed according to relevant Act” appeared first on DailyNews.