Colombo High Court Judge Nishshanka Bandula Karunaratne issued summons to Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera to appear in court on June 20 over the alleged possession of a baby elephant without a license.

The Attorney General recently filed indictment against Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera on two counts under the Flora and Fauna Act and the Public Properties Act over the alleged possession of a baby elephant at Alan Mathiniyarama without a licence in or around January 28.

The AG has named 19 witnesses and three documents as production items in the case.

The Department of Wildlife Conservation discovered the elephant cub at the Alan Mathiniyaramaya in January 2015. The two-and-a-half-year-old elephant calf was taken into custody by the Department of Wildlife Conservation. The baby elephant was not registered under the name of Chief Incumbent Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera or the temple.