By Bhagya Silva
Colombo, Oct. 16 (Daily Mirror) - The Fort Magistrate issued an order against 54 individuals, including Venerable Ulapane Sumangala Thera and 29 other Buddhist monks, former Minister Udaya Gammanpila and 10 other politicians, along with 18 civil society representatives, preventing them from remaining in the area surrounding the Presidential Secretariat.
Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena today issued an order prohibiting Venerable Ulapane Sumangala Thera and 54 others from remaining in the area surrounding the Presidential Secretariat, following a police complaint that their ongoing protest was causing public inconvenience in a high-security zone.
The Fort Police made submissions before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court regarding a five-day-long protest demanding a Presidential pardon for Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, who was convicted of contempt of court and sentenced by the Supreme Court.
The police informed the court that the protest, which began in the Kandy area, had reached Colombo yesterday.
While acknowledging that the protesters, like other citizens, were entitled to the Constitutional rights to freedom of speech and expression, the Fort Police told the court that the protesters were acting in violation of certain provisions of the Constitution.
Police officers further submitted that, after the protesters gathered near the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo yesterday, the Presidential Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Presidential Secretariat had met them.
The officers informed the court that the protesters had been told that their concerns would be brought to the attention of the President and that steps would be taken to provide a solution.
However, the police alleged that the protesters had continued to behave in a disorderly manner and remained in the relevant high-security zone surrounding the Presidential Secretariat, causing public inconvenience.
Having considered the submissions, the Magistrate took into account the police's representations that the protesters had already been informed that their concerns had been brought to the President's attention and that a solution would be sought, yet they continued to cause public inconvenience.
Accordingly, under Section 106(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act No. 15 of 1979, the Magistrate issued an order prohibiting the protesters from remaining in the relevant area surrounding the Presidential Secretariat.
The order applies to 54 individuals, including Venerable Ulapane Sumangala Thera and 29 other Buddhist monks, former Minister Udaya Gammanpila and 10 other politicians, as well as 18 civil society members.