Former MP Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera was released on bail by Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris a short while ago.

The monk was released on three sureties of Rs 6 million each.

Dhammaloka Thera was in remand custody for the alleged illegal possession of an elephant calf.

The Magistrate made the decision after considering the submissions of the defence lawyers and the State Counselor this morning.

The defence argued for bail on five main points, but the State Counselor opposed to three of them.

They informed court that Dhammaloka Thera wants to be involved with the organization of the funeral of the Asgiriya Mahanayake and cannot attend to these duties under prison custody. Furthermore, since he was a respected Dhamma preacher, he is scheduled to attend to a number of programs, he pointed out. Both he and the organizers of various Buddhist sermon and discussion programs are in difficulties when he is in prison custody, it was argued.

Furthermore, it was argued that the elephant calf could not be described as belonging to Dhammaloka Thera merely because it was in the temple. It was also pointed out that he had not hidden the elephant in the temple.

The court was also told that the Thera did not earn money from the elephant calf. It was given for different functions free of charge, the lawyers also pointed out.

They argued that no one were victimized by the fact that the elephant calf was in the temple.

In response, the State Counsel agreed on the first two points but opposed to the other points.

He submitted that the argument that the elephant did not belong to the Thera could not be accepted. Furthermore, since elephants were public property, the government and the people were victimized by the unregistered ownership of the elephant, the State Counsel said.