– Only Buddhist monks have the authority to remove the robes of a fellow monk, Most Venerable Ittapana Dhammalankara Mahanayake Thera of the Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha said today.

He made these remarks when Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa visited him today (10).The Mahanayake Thera said Sri Lanka had historically been a Buddhist country and that protecting Buddhism was a responsibility and a duty.He said a letter had been sent to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake regarding the matter and that a further date had been requested for a meeting with the President.Referring to the monk at the centre of the controversy, he said the monk was a member of the Kotte Sangha Sabha, an eloquent speaker and a preacher of the Dhamma.“Only Buddhist monks have the authority to remove a monk’s robes. If the robes are not removed, the situation can be endured, but no one has the right to disrobe him,” he said.The Mahanayake Thera also claimed that 99 per cent of Buddhist monks representing Sri Lanka’s three main Nikayas opposed the action taken against the monk.

He questioned why the Kotte Sangha Sabha had not been consulted before the decision was made, noting that he was the Mahanayake of the Sabha.“If such a decision was being taken, they should have at least consulted the Kotte Sangha Sabha,” he said.