The Batticaloa High Court yesterday (17) granted bail to Ven. Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thera over a case filed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act over allegations of inciting racial hatred.
The Batticaloa Magistrate’s Court had previously issued an arrest warrant after Ven. Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thera failed to appear before the court for the hearing on December 15.
At the time, a Batticaloa Assistant Superintendent of Police informed the Magistrate that Ven. Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thera was currently untraceable, after which the case was scheduled to be heard at the Batticaloa High Court yesterday.
As Ven. Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thera had appeared before the High Court, indictments were filed against him, and he was released on two sureties of Rs. 100,000.
The court also imposed an overseas travel ban on Ven. Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thera, ordered him to surrender the passport to the court and also record a statement with the Batticaloa Police.
Ven. Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thera was wanted in connection with a case based on a complaint filed by Attorney‑at‑Law Dhanuka Rananjaka Kahandagamage on October 23, 2023.
According to the complaint, Ven. Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thera allegedly made aggressive remarks against the Tamil community in Batticaloa, threatening in the presence of police officers that “every Tamil person living in the South will be cut and killed.” (Newswire)
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