Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has ruled that a presidential pardon granted to a prominent Buddhist monk was invalid, and has ordered him to return to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence. The monk, Galagodaatte Gnanasara, is a senior figure in the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), a group known for its nationalist and religiously charged rhetoric. He was previously sentenced to six years in prison for contempt of court and for intimidating Sandya Eknaligoda, the wife of Prageeth Eknaligoda, a political cartoonist who was forcibly disappeared in 2010. During a court hearing in 2016, Gnanasara disrupted the proceedings by shouting at the judge and lawyers, and threatened Sandya Eknaligoda, who was seeking justice for her husband's disappearance. Gnanasara had served less than a year of his sentence before being pardoned by then President Maithripala Sirisena. However, the Supreme Court has now declared that this pardon was arbitrary and has ordered him to return to prison. The ruling came after a challenge by Sandya Eknaligoda and a local non-profit organization, the Centre for Policy Alternatives, who argued that the pardon was unjust and violated legal procedures. The court emphasized that the president's power to grant pardons is not unlimited and must be exercised within legal boundaries. The BBS, which Gnanasara leads, has been accused of inciting violence against religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, in areas of Sri Lanka where Buddhists are the majority. Gnanasara has consistently denied these allegations. He has also faced legal action over incidents involving anti-Muslim rhetoric, hate speech, and defaming the Quran. In 2024, he was sentenced to four years in prison for inciting hatred against Muslims during a press conference in 2016, but was later granted bail. Gnanasara's political influence continued after his release, as Sirisena’s successor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, appointed him to a presidential task force to draft legal reform proposals. This appointment faced widespread criticism from human rights groups and the public. In 2025, Gnanasara was again sentenced to nine months in prison for insulting Islam and inciting religious hatred, but was released on bail shortly after. The Supreme Court's recent decision marks a significant legal challenge to his continued influence and raises questions about the balance of power between the judiciary and the executive in Sri Lanka.