Sri Lanka’s Buddhist hierarchy suspends a senior monk, Pallegama Hemarathana, following allegations that he sexually abused an 11-year-old girl. The Malwatte Chapter Council of Monks issues a disciplinary order on Saturday, removing him from his responsibilities as chief custodian of a highly venerated ficus linked to the tree believed to have sheltered the Buddha during his enlightenment. The suspension remains in place until the conclusion of legal proceedings.
Police arrest Hemarathana on May 9 over allegations involving an incident in 2022 at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi temple in Anuradhapura, about 200 kilometres north of Colombo. After the arrest, he is granted bail, and a court order bars him from travelling abroad.
The case is described as high-profile in a religiously conservative country and is noted as one of the most senior accusations of child abuse involving clergy in Sri Lanka. Coverage also references that other clergy-related cases have occurred, including an April arrest of monks over cannabis possession, though those individuals are not reported to have been suspended from the priesthood.
