Religious leaders go before Supreme Court seeking stern action against Pastor Jerome Fernando

• Seeks order to investigate financial activities of Pastor and Glorious Church  

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda  

A group of religious leaders representing different  religious faiths in the country yesterday filed a Fundamental Rights  petition in the Supreme Court seeking an order directing the IGP to  immediately arrest Pastor Jerome Fernando over his hate comments against  religious harmony in the country.  

The petitioners are further seeking an order directing the  law enforcement authorities to cause a full investigation into the  financial activities of Pastor Jerome Fernando and “The Glorious  Church”, in order to ascertain if any laws of Sri Lanka have been  violated.  

The petitioners Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera, Ven. Bengamuwe  Nalaka Thera, Ven. Angulugalle Sri Ginanada Thera, Rev. Father Nishan  Cooray, Dr. Sivasui Ramachandra Kurukkal Babu Sharma and Al-Haj-As-Seyed  Hassan Moulana AlQuadri filed this petition naming Pastor Jerome  Fernando, IGP Chandana Wickramaratne, the Archbishop of Colombo,  Mahanayaka Theras of the Malwatta Chapter of the Siam Nikaya, Amarapura  Maha Nikaya, the All Ceylon Hindu Congress, the  All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama, Attorney General and several others as  respondents.  

The petitioners alleged that Prophet Jerome Fernando,  during the course of a televised sermon at the “The Glorious Church”  before a large gathering of his spiritual followers, wantonly ridiculed,  insulted, demeaned, undermined and Caricaturized three out of the four  major religions in Sri Lanka (Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam).  

The Petitioners are of the view that there is delay in  taking meaningful and adequate action for the arrest of Prophet Jerome  Fernando and produce him before a Court. The Petitioners state that, on  or about May 18, 2023, Jerome Fernando, addressed a large gathering of  people, purportedly being a religious congregation, at which he made  numerous statements that are derogatory of other religions, specifically  of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam.