FR petition against Police for malicious search of Temple

Ven. Thiniyawala Palitha Thero, the Chief incumbent of the Nugegoda Nalandaramaya and the Mahabodhi center of Chennai, India filed a fundamental rights petition (FR) in the Supreme Court against the Mirihana Police for searching the Temple allegedly on malicious motives and for a collateral purpose. It is well to recall that Ven. Palitha Thero had been acting in the public interest on so many occasions filing FR petitions against the Govt. on its hedging soodhuwa which engendered immense loss of public funds; for reduction of electricity tariffs; for reduction of fuel prices and to withdraw three purported environmental levies.

The Ven. Thero, is not only a devoted true Buddhist but a public spirited monk going by his court actions geared towards saving wastage of public funds and corruption in the Govt. sector. All these actions were filed by him not for his personal benefits.

Though   a thorough search was conducted on the Temple premises by the police who told the Ven. Thero, this necessity was triggered by an anonymous phone call that explosives and a man possessing them are hiding in the temple.

The Ven Thero lamented that these actions of the police is a desecration of the sanctity of the Temple while having an adverse impact on his image. The Thero therefore has alleged in his petition that the police action is a violation of his fundamental right to equality and equal protection under the law, and the search was carried out maliciously to achieve a collateral purpose.