ANURADHAPURA, Sri Lanka — A chief magistrate in Sri Lanka on Friday ordered the immediate arrest of one of the country’s most senior Buddhist monks over allegations of grave sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old girl, in a case that has shaken both religious and legal institutions.
Chief Magistrate Siyapath Sasindu Wickramaratne of Anuradhapura directed police to arrest Ven. Pallegama Hemarathana Thera, the Chief Incumbent of the Atamasthana, which comprises the eight most sacred Buddhist sites in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, including the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, one of the holiest shrines in Sri Lankan Buddhism, after authorities repeatedly failed to detain him despite an active investigation. The court also barred the monk from leaving the country.
Police Delays Prompt Judicial Intervention
Court proceedings highlighted serious concerns over police inaction.
According to submissions made before the court by Attorney-at-Law Sajeevani Aberathna, Director of Law Enforcement at the National Child Protection Authority, repeated written and verbal inquiries had been made to police regarding why the monk had not yet been arrested despite mounting evidence.
The magistrate’s order followed increasing scrutiny over what appeared to be prolonged hesitation by law enforcement in pursuing one of the country’s most powerful clerics.
Allegations Emerge Through Child Protection Inquiry
The investigation began after the girl was taken into police custody in Nittambuwa while staying at a lodge.
According to testimony presented in court, the girl alleged that her mother had accepted money and facilitated her sexual abuse by both the senior monk and another businessman. Authorities subsequently filed charges under provisions relating to rape and grave sexual abuse.
Investigators have also recovered physical evidence, including blood-stained clothing allegedly linked to the abuse, which is being sent for forensic examination.
National Reverberations
The gravity of the allegations is amplified by the accused’s public stature.
Ven. Hemarathana was appointed the 11th Atamasthanadhipathi in 2022 and has recently played prominent ceremonial roles in state and religious events, including engagements attended by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Dalai Lama.
His arrest, if carried out, would mark an unprecedented moment in Sri Lanka’s modern Buddhist establishment, where senior clergy have historically wielded immense political and cultural authority.
