A Sri Lankan court has ordered former Anuradhapura Atamasthanadhipathi Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Thera to provide a blood sample for DNA testing in connection with the criminal case linked to allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.
Anuradhapura Chief Magistrate Siyapath Sasidu Wickramaratne issued the order on Friday, directing the suspect monk to report to the Government Analyst’s Department on June 16 and submit a blood sample for forensic examination. The magistrate further instructed the Government Analyst to file the DNA analysis results with the court once the testing is completed.
The directive followed additional facts presented by Nittambuwa Police, who told the bench that under a prior court order certain items of clothing believed to contain blood traces had been recovered on May 4. The clothes had reportedly been hidden by the minor and were later discovered and forwarded to the Government Analyst for forensic examination. Initial DNA testing on those items confirmed the presence of biological material whose source the prosecution is now seeking to match against the accused.
The order escalates the evidentiary stage of a case that has been before the Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court since the Chief Magistrate ordered Hemarathana’s arrest on May 8 — the most senior Buddhist monk to be detained on child-protection charges in recent memory. The arrest followed an NCPA-led application after delays by police in detaining the suspect, with the prosecution citing a Nittambuwa complaint of March 6 alleging the abduction and detention of a 15-year-old girl. The Malwathu Chapter subsequently suspended Hemarathana from the Atamasthanadhipathi role on May 30, removing him from the chief custodianship of the eight sacred sites of Anuradhapura.
The case is being prosecuted under the supervision of police and the National Child Protection Authority. Source: NewsFirst.
Update — June 16: Blood sample collected at Government Analyst
Hemarathana provided the blood sample at the Government Analyst’s Department on Tuesday after being produced by Nittambuwa Police, Newswire reported. The DNA testing will determine whether the sample matches the alleles already identified on the recovered clothing, with the findings to be submitted to court once the analysis is complete.
