AG agrees to charge criminal monks under lay names if disrobed by sects
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Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe has agreed to file charges against Buddhist monks arrested over various crimes under the names listed on their birth certificates, provided the respective sect (nikaya) of such monks take steps to disrobe them.
The agreement between the AG and senior members of the Buddhist clergy had been struck when the clergy met with the AG recently to discuss the situation that has arisen owing to monks arrested as suspects in various crimes being put in the dock after being produced in court.
In the event a monk who is suspect in a case is opposed to the proposal for him to be disrobed, the AG has requested that the head of the sect to which the monk belongs to act according to their respective disciplinary code. He has emphasised that if the sect properly exercised their disciplinary powers, it would go a long way towards deterring monks from engaging in wrongful acts.
It had also been noted that in the event a monk who is disrobed and charged as a layperson is ultimately acquitted of the crime he has been accused of, it is appropriate for him to be admitted back into the Buddhist clergy, if he so wishes.
The discussion between the AG and senior Buddhist clergy had also broached issues surrounding the Vihara and Devalagam Act and legal definitions related to certain provisions of the act.
AG Ranasinghe had stressed the importance of the sects properly implementing their disciplinary codes and keeping a close watch on their student monks. It had also pointed out that it was better for monks to obtain permission from their Mahanayaka Thera when traveling overseas.
Content retrieved from: https://www.sundaytimes.lk/260607/news/ag-agrees-to-charge-criminal-monks-under-lay-names-if-disrobed-by-sects-644798.html.
