Court Orders DNA Test for Ex-Atamasthanadhipathi

COLOMBO (News 1st); A Sri Lankan court has ordered former Atamasthanadhipathi Ven. Pallegama Hemarathana Thero to provide a blood sample for DNA testing in connection with an ongoing case involving allegations related to a minor.

The order was issued today by Anuradhapura Chief Magistrate Siyapath Sasidu Wickramaratne, who directed 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 submit the results of the DNA analysis to court once the testing is completed.

The directive was made after the Nittambuwa police presented additional facts before court in relation to the case, with investigations focusing on scientific evidence to establish key elements of the inquiry.

During proceedings, the Nittambuwa Police informed court that, under a prior court order, certain items of clothing believed to contain blood traces had been recovered on May 4, 2026. These items had reportedly been hidden by the minor and were later discovered and forwarded to the Government Analyst for forensic examination.

Police further revealed that DNA testing carried out on those items had confirmed the presence of DNA alleles. In light of these findings, investigators sought permission from court to obtain a blood sample from the suspect monk in order to compare it with the genetic material identified during the analysis.

Taking these submissions into consideration, the magistrate approved the request and issued the order for the suspect to provide a blood sample.

The former Atamasthanadhipathi has been named as a suspect in allegations involving a minor and was previously remanded in custody before being released on stringent bail conditions. 

Earlier this year, the monk was removed from his positions as Atamasthanadhipathi and Chief Sanghanayake of Nuwarakalaviya following the emergence of allegations and the initiation of legal proceedings against him. The removal took place on Vesak Full Moon Poya Day.